AN  AMERICAN  NOVEL 

BY 
WILLIAM  H.MSMASTERS 


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The  United  States  of  America  must  make  its  decision  '' 


REVOLT 

AN  AMERICAN  NOVEL 

BY 

WILLIAM  H.  McM ASTERS 

Author  of 

"SOMEWHERE  IN  ETERNITY" 

"THE  GREAT  PUBLISHER  GOES  VISITING" 

"A  LIMITED  COMEDY,"  ETC.,  ETC. 

Illustrated  by  Haydon  Jones 


DAVID   D.  NICKERSON  &  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS  BOSTON 


COPYRIGHT 

1919 
By  DAVID  D.  NICKERSON  &  Co. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


To  the  immortals  who  have  ever 
blazed  the  trail  through  the  wilder 
ness  and  shown  the  way  to  the 
countless  billions  who  must  follow 
blindly  onward  into  the  open  spaces 
where  humanity  will  some  day  set 
tle  the  great  problems  of  an  ideal, 
popular  government,  this  book  is 
reverently  dedicated  by  the  author. 


CONTENTS 


PROLOGUE  -THE  SEED  is  PLANTED. 

CHAPTER  Pate 

I.     Roger  Morton  goes  to  Cambridge 29 

II.     The  Revolutionist  Compact 46 

III.  The  House  of  Morton  Divides 55 

IV.  Marta  Falmouth  reaches  New  York 62 

V.     The  Revolt  begins  to  Organize 70 

VI.  The  Money  Power  becomes  Turbulent    ....  77 

VII.  The  Women's  Branch  formally  Opens     ....  84 

VIII.     Lannigan  Reports  to  his  Chief 94 

IX.     Disappointment  plus 99 

X.     The  Revolutionists  take  a  Brace 106 

XI.    The  Money  Powers  Convene 114 

XII.    On  to  Faneuil  Hall! 122 

XIII.  The  Cradle  of  Liberty  Rocks  Again 130 

XIV.  The  Republican  Party  gets  Instructions       .      .      .  139 
XV.     The  Publicity  Man  carries  on 146 

XVI.  The  Democratic  Convention  Disintegrates  .      .      .  152 

XVII.  Roger  and  Marta  understand  each  other      .     .      .  157 

XVIII.     Morton  Senior  is  pleased 163 

XIX.  Came  a  Surprise  to  Baltimore 169 

XX.  A  Plot  Nipped  by  a  Frost 177 

XXI.  The  Revolutionist  Convention 184 

XXII.  The  Independent  Joins  the  Revolt 195 

XXIII.  Marta  Falmouth's  Abduction  is  Planned      .      .      .  208 

XXIV.  The  Revolutionists  invade  New  York      .      .      .      .  215 
XXV.    Roger  Morton  speaks  to  the  People 223 

XXVI.     Marta  Falmouth  Disappears 230 

XXVII.     Marta  Defies  the  Money  Power 237 

XXVIII.     Roger  Morton  starts  the  Search 244 

XXIX.  Marta  is  delivered  back  to  her  People     ....  255 

XXX.    The  Clarion  Call  to  the  Colors 263 

XXXI.     Victory  in  the  name  of  the  People 267 

XXXII.     So  runs  the  world  away 276 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


"THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA  MUST  MAKE 

ITS  DECISION"  (page  134) frontis. 

"EXPENSE  ACCOUNT  UNLIMITED,"  SAID  MORTON       82 
"MARTA,  MAY  I  Kiss  You?"       .      .      .      ...     176 

"FELLOW  REVOLUTIONISTS"  226 


PROLOGUE 


THE   SEED   IS  PLANTED 

The  great  desire  of  a  novelist  is  to  begin  his  stories 
in  a  way  that  will  attract  attention  —  to  awaken  an 
intense  interest  at  the  very  outset. 

It  must  be  apparent  that  a  tiresome  introduction 
to  a  story  will  not  tend  to  make  the  story  popular  and 
if  it  is  not  popular,  then  the  story  will  not  have  the 
audience  that  every  author  would  like  to  address  even 
though  he  professes  that  he  is  searching  for  quality 
rather  than  quantity  in  his  readers.  An  author  who 
spurns  an  audience  is  like  a  candidate  who  prefers  to 
be  defeated.  There  is  none  such. 

In  the  present  offering,  the  author  admits  that  he 
would  like  to  start  this  story  with  a  rush  and  yet  he 
finds  it  impossible  to  do  so.  Prologues  or  introduc 
tions  are  generally  dull,  and  in  many  cases  have  been 
really  unnecessary. 

In  the  present  story,  however,  the  author  feels  that 
a  prologue  is  essential  to  a  thorough  understanding 
of  all  those  events  that  followed  and  so  —  having  put 

11 


12  REVOLT 

the  question  of  an  opening  squarely  up  to  his  readers 
-  the  author  makes  it  a  matter  of  personal  honor 
with  each  one  to  read  the  prologue  carefully  before 
going  into  the  story,  proper. 

You  know  how  it  is  when  somebody  tries  to  antici 
pate  the  answer  to  one  of  your  anecdotes  —  how  it 
not  only  spoils  the  anecdote  itself,  but  makes  you 
almost  wish  you  hadn't  essayed  to  tell  it.  Well, 
that  is  the  way  an  author  feels  when  he  learns  that 
somebody  didn't  like  one  of  his  stories  —  and  he  is 
especially  sad  when  he  learns  that  maybe  the  only 
reason  for  not  liking  the  story  was  because  a  reader 
jumped  over  it  rather  then  read  it  in  logical  sequence. 

So  you  see  how  important  it  is  from  the  author's 
standpoint  for  you  to  know  that : 

The  commencement  exercises  at  Harvard  to  honor 
the  class  of  1925  had  brought  many  notables  to  Cam 
bridge  and  that  not  the  least  of  these  in  point  of  pres 
tige  was  John  Paine  Morton,  of  New  York,  easily 
accepted  as  the  world's  most  commanding  figure  in 
finance.  John  Paine  Morton  was  present  for  two 
reasons.  His  alma  mater  had  summoned  him  for  the 
purpose  of  conferring  the  very  special  honorary  degree 
of  A.F.D.,  or  Doctor  of  Administrative  Finance,  this 
being  the  first  time  that  any  institution  in  the  world 
had  conferred  such  a  degree.  The  second  reason  for 
the  distinguished  financier's  presence  at  the  exercises 
was  the  fact  that  his  only  son,  Roger  Adams  Morton, 
had  successfully  passed  his  examinations  as  a  Senior 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  13 

and  was  to  graduate  with  A.B.  attached  to  his  name. 
It  was  a  sort  of  Morton-Morton  year  at  Harvard. 

Young  Morton's  suite  of  rooms  in  Eliot  Hall,  the 
new  dormitory  overlooking  the  yard,  consisted  of  a 
reception  hall,  a  study,  a  dining  room,  two  bedrooms, 
a  private  gym,  a  kitchen,  and  a  few  minor  conven 
iences.  Had  there  been  less  room,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  for  the  son  of  the  world's  foremost  banker  to 
entertain  his  friends  and  relatives  in  a  fitting  manner. 

The  Class  day  exercises  meant  open  house  for  young 
Morton.  He  had  motored  to  Back  Bay  to  meet  his 
father's  special  car  and  insisted  that  his  parent  stay 
with  him  in  Cambridge  rather  than  at  the  Boston 
hotel  where  the  elder  had  first  planned. 

"If  you  are  going  to  get  another  degree  from  old 
Harvard,  Governor,  you  will  have  to  stay  at  my  rooms 
over  night  or  I'll  have  the  program  smashed  tomor 
row,"  was  the  argument  advanced  by  the  young  man 
as  he  hustled  his  father  into  the  big  touring  car. 

"Who  will  do  the  smashing?"  asked  the  smiling 
father. 

"If  you  really  think  we  can't  smash  programs  at 
Harvard,  Governor,"  answered  Roger,  "then  you  don't 
know  the  new  rules.  I  suppose  that  if  it  came  to  a 
real  decision,  Dan  Holman  could  handle  things  so 
that  about  any  program  could  be  smashed  —  pro 
vided,  of  course,  there  was  a  good  reason  for  it." 

"I've  been  reading  of  Holman  in  the  Crimson." 
said  the  elder  Morton.  "Some  of  the  things  said 


14  REVOLT 

about  him  seemed  all  right  —  some  of  them  were 
rather  questionable  —  too  radical,  you  might  say." 

"Oh!  yes,"  ventured  Roger,  "Dan  is  radical  enough 
to  suit  even  the  socialists  in  our  class,  but  it  is  his 
great  personality  that  has  made  him  popular.  He  is 
to  be  class  orator.  Suppose  you  knew  it?" 

"No!  I  hadn't  kept  as  well  posted  as  that,"  smiled 
his  father.  "There  are  a  few  things  that  require 
attention  in  the  banking  business  —  have  to  read  the 
Wall  Street  Journal  occasionally  as  well  as  the  Crim 
son." 

"You'll  see  Dan  at  my  rooms,  tonight.  We  are  to 
give  a  little  reception  to  him  and  to  Professor  Fal- 
mouth." 

"Another  radical,  if  I  recollect  what  the  Times  said 
about  his  latest  book,"  said  the  elder. 

"All  depends  on  how  you  look  at  it,  Governor. 
Professor  Falmouth  is  full  of  what  he  calls  'Funda 
mental  Democracy.'  He  is  a  deep  thinker  and,  to 
tell  you  the  truth,  I  enjoyed  his  course  in  advanced 
'polycon'  more  than  anything  in  my  whole  four  years. 
I  think  you'll  like  him." 

"Well !  my  boy,  I  think  you  are  wrong.  To  a  young 
man  in  college  the  ideas  of  men  like  Falmouth  are 
treated  as  studies  —  they  look  upon  them  merely  as 
something  for  their  brains  to  exercise  upon  —  mental 
gymnastics,  as  it  were.  But  the  outside  world  takes 
men  like  Falmouth  seriously.  He  is  teaching  social 
ism  —  radicalism  —  the  same  stuff  that  has  created 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  15 

revolution  all  over  Europe  and  that  is  now  beginning 
to  be  felt  in  America.  I  don't  like  his  teachings  and 
I'm  going  to  tell  him  so." 

Roger  Morton  took  a  side-long  glance  at  his 
father  and  smiled.  "All  right,  Governor,"  he  said, 
heartily.  "Tell  him  anything  you  like.  By  the  way, 
how  was  Mother  when  you  left?" 

"Slightly  improved.  Almost  broke  her  heart  not  to 
be  here.  The  new  specialist  says  that  hi  a  month 
she  will  be  up  and  about  again  —  wonderful  how 
much  some  doctors  know  and  how  much  some  others 
don't  know." 

"Also  wonderful  what  some  financiers  know,"  sug 
gested  Roger.  "How  is  the  new  merger  coming 
along?" 

"Papers  will  be  signed  by  the  five  New  York  Pres 
idents,  next  week.  After  that  we  will  make  the  ten 
American  additions  in  another  month.  The  foreign 
signatories  are  being  lined  up.  I  want  you  to  be 
ready  to  accept  one  of  the  vice-presidencies  inside  of 
a  year . ' '  The  father  put  his  arm  affectionately  around 
the  shoulders  of  his  son. 

"I  hate  to  appear  ungrateful,  Governor,  but  you 
know  just  as  well  as  I  do  that  you  are  only  starting 
on  your  career.  As  President  of  the  new  Universal 
Trust  Co.,  with  resources  of  three  billions,  you  will  be 
in  a  position  to  do  a  great  deal  of  good  in  the  world. 
It  is  for  yourself  and  for  humanity  that  you  should  be 
working." 


16  REVOLT 

''Oh!"  smiled  the  father,  "I  don't  propose  quitting. 
In  fact,  the  merger  is  only  the  starting  point.  In  ten 
years  —  if  I  live  —  and  there  are  no  industrial  up 
heavals  —  the  Universal  Trust  Co.  should  have  re 
sources  of  over  fifty  billions  and  every  big  financial 
transaction  in  the  world  should  be  dominated  by  our 
Executive  Committee.  Let  us  control  the  big  tran 
sactions  and  the  little  ones  needn't  bother  us." 

The  big  touring  car  had  stopped  in  front  of  Eliot 
Hall  and  father  and  son  alighted.  A  moment  later 
they  had  both  entered  the  rooms  of  young  Morton, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  the  serving  man  announced 
that  dinner  was  ready. 

"If  I  had  been  sure  of  you  at  dinner,  I  would  have 
had  Dan  Holman  join  us,"  said  Roger,  as  they  took 
places  at  the  dining  table. 

"I'm  sure  I  would  have  enjoyed  it,"  smiled  his 
father.  "The  ideals  of  youth  —  the  bubbling  over 
of  those  who  have  never  come  into  contact  with  the 
realities  of  life  —  always  are  interesting.  Our  office 
is  full  of  old  men  who  entered  the  banking  business 
with  the  idea  of  reforming  it.  They  have  been  re 
formed  by  it." 

"So  that  they  are  now  parts  of  the  machine  and 
nothing  else,"  said  Roger,  sarcastically. 

"What  else  is  anybody  but  a  part  of  the  great 
machinery  of  humanity  itself?"  asked  the  great  finan 
cier. 

His  son  looked  across  the  table  at  him.     Hesitating 


PROLOGUE  -THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  17 

a  moment,  as  if  at  a  loss  for  words,  he  finally 
said,  "What  you  say  has  a  ring  of  philosophy, 
in  fact,  it  sounds  unanswerable.  You  know  what 
Dan  Holman  says  about  things  that  are  unan 
swerable?" 

"No,"  replied  his  father,  "I  am  not  well  enough 
versed  in  Holmaniana  to  know  what  he  says  about 
unanswerable  remarks." 

The  younger  man  smiled.  "Dan  says,"  and  then 
he  laughed  outright,  "Dan  says  that  the  easiest 
thing  on  earth  for  an  intelligent  man  to  answer  is  an 
unanswerable  political  proposition." 

The  elder  Morton  looked  intently  at  his  son. 
"Something  tells  me  I  am  going  to  enjoy  meeting 
your  friend  Dan,"  he  said,  and  then  turned  his  atten 
tion  to  his  neglected  plate. 

At  eight-thirty  the  spread  was  set  in  the  dining 
room  and  the  added  waiters  were  in  readiness  to  take 
care  of  the  wants  of  the  expected  guests.  Young 
Morton  and  his  father  took  their  places  in  the  recep 
tion  hall. 

"The  riot  will  start  in  about  a  minute,  Dad,  so  don't 
sit  down,"  suggested  Roger. 

"Why  riot?"  asked  his  father. 

"Because  the  boys  are  going  the  rounds.  There 
are  at  least  fifty  spreads  —  many  requiring  cards,  of 
course  —  but  at  Holman's  suggestion  I  cut  out  all 
formalities  and  invited  the  entire  undergraduate  body 
to  be  here  between  eight-thirty  and  ten  and  if  I  am 


18  REVOLT 

not  mistaken  the  outriders  are  already  coming  up  the 
stairs." 

He  was  right.  The  advance  guard,  consisting  of 
the  glee  club  mixed  eight  singing  "For  he's  a  jolly 
good  fellow,"  and  a  new  set  of  words  to  "Up  the 
Street,"  paraded  double-quick  by  father  and  son  and 
took  their  stand  in  front  of  the  spread  in  the  dining 
room.  By  the  time  they  were  served,  other  hilarious 
and  hungry  Harvardians  were  crowding  into  Morton's 
rooms. 

"You  wouldn't  know  one  of  these  boys  if  you  ever 
saw  him  again,  Governor,"  said  Roger,  after  he  had 
introduced  his  father  to  the  six  hundredth  under 
graduate. 

"And  I  doubt  if  any  of  them  would  remember  me," 
smiled  his  father. 

It  was  about  half  past  nine  that  the  air  of  the  room 
became  tense.  A  sort  of  telepathic  current  seemed 
to  run  through  the  atmosphere.  The  singing  stopped. 
The  roar  of  voices  subsided.  The  elder  Morton  looked 
at  his  son.  The  latter  nodded  and  said  in  an  under 
tone,  "I  guess  Dan  is  coming  up  the  stairs.  We  can 
aways  tell  when  he's  coming."  He  turned  his  eyes 
to  the  door  of  the  reception  room,  expectantly.  His 
father's  eyes  also  turned  that  way. 

A  young  man  stood  in  the  doorway  and  smiled. 
He  wasn't  tall  or  short  —  just  a  medium-height  young 
man,  rather  heavy  in  the  shoulders  and  through  the 
chest.  His  face  wasn't  handsome  according  to  motion- 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  19 

picture  standards  but  there  was  character  written 
into  every  line  of  it.  A  heavy  mop  of  raven  black 
hair  set  off  his  face  so  that  when  he  smiled  and  said, 
"Good  evening,  gentlemen,"  in  a  vibrant  tone,  it  looked 
to  the  elder  Morton  as  if  the  entire  doorway  was  one 
pleasant  smile. 

Dan  Holman  walked  gracefully  across  the  room  and 
extended  his  hand  to  young  Morton.  As  he  did  so, 
the  thirty  guests  in  the  adjoining  room  raised  their 
glasses  and  said  in  unison,  "What's  the  matter  with 
Dan  Holman?  He's  all  right!  Who's  all  right? 
Dan  Homan.  All  drink!"  The  glasses  were  emp 
tied. 

"Thank  you,  boys,"  said  Holman,  then  turning  to 
Roger,  he  said,  "Sorry  I  was  late,  Roger.  I've  been 
over  to  Falmouth's  house  going  over  the  speech  with 
him." 

"Father,"  said  young  Morton,  "I  take  pleasure  in 
presenting  Dan  Holman,  our  class  orator."  The  two 
men  shook  hands 

"How  did  old  Falmouth  like  the  speech,  Dan?" 
asked  Roger. 

"Better  than  I  do.  He  suggested  one  or  two 
changes  that  I  have  decided  to  adopt  and  I  guess  it 
will  get  over,  all  right."  His  air  of  confidence  did  not 
seem  boastful. 

"Public  speaking  is  a  great  art,  Mr.  Holman,"  said 
the  elder  Morton. 

"No,  sir,"  retorted  Holman.    "It  isn't  an  art  at  all. 


20  REVOLT 

It  is  a  disease,"  and  he  winked  at  Roger,  while  the 
older  man  enjoyed  a  laugh. 

"Falmouth  is  on  the  way  over,"  said  Holman,  be 
tween  bites  on  a  chicken  sandwich.  "I  told  him  your 
Father  would  be  here  and  he  said  he  was  anxious  to 
see  him." 

As  if  by  signal,  Professor  Royce  Falmouth  stepped 
into  the  room  at  the  moment.  Like  most  of  the  others 
he  was  without  a  hat  and  wore  evening  clothes  —  the 
difference  between  his  and  most  of  the  others'  being 
evidenced  in  the  extreme  wear  that  his  gar 
ments  showed.  His  face  was  pale  and  although  a 
tall  man,  his  stoop  made  him  look  shorter  than 
a  measuring  rule  would  testify.  A  set  of  reddish 
chin  whiskers  added  to  the  gauntness  of  his  ap 
pearance. 

"Hello,  my  young  friend,"  he  said,  as  he  grasped 
Roger's  hand  and  shook  it  warmly.  "I  am  so 
glad  to  see  you.  How  is  your  little  reception 
going?" 

"Fine,  thank  you,  Professor,"  answered  Roger. 
Then  turning  to  his  father,  he  said,  "Father,  let  me 
present  you  to  Professor  Falmouth." 

The  elder  Morton's  eyes  showed  their  astonishment 
at  the  turn  of  the  introduction.  They  seemed  to  say 
to  Dan  Holman,  who  was  standing  within  eyeshot, 
"Present  me  to  Professor  Falmouth?  Why  not  pre 
sent  Professor  Falmouth  to  me?" 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  21 

While  the  Professor  held  out  his  hand  politely,  the 
elder  Morton  saw  fit  to  appear  not  to  see  it. 

Instead  of  shaking  hands,  he  bowed  curtly  and  said, 
"I  have  been  waiting  for  a  chance  to  speak  to  you, 
Professor  Falmouth." 

A  tinge  of  color  had  crept  into  the  cheeks  of  the 
Professor.  Young  Morton,  also,  had  flushed  when  he 
noted  the  coldness  of  his  father's  greeting. 

Falmouth  stood  dejectedly  —  as  if  waiting  for  some 
body  to  say  something.  Holman  stepped  a  little 
closer  into  the  circle.  The  elder  Morton  snapped  his 
jaws  tightly  and  then  opened  them  to  speak. 

"So,"  he  said,  with  deep  feeling,  looking  fiercely  at 
Falmouth,  "you  are  the  man  who  has  been  teaching 
all  this  socialistic  rot  to  my  son."  He  waited  for  an 
answer.  Falmouth  hesitated  and  looked  toward 
young  Morton,  pleadingly.  The  young  man  took  the 
cue. 

"Father,"  he  said,  "don't  you  see  how  embarrassing 
it  is  to  Professor  Falmouth  for  you  to  put  such  an  in 
sulting  question  to  him?" 

"Let  him  answer  me!"  replied  the  elder,  sternly. 

"I  warn  you,  Father,"  said  Roger. 

"Warn  me  against  what?"  asked  his  father. 

"Not  to  continue  a  discussion  with  the  Pro 
fessor,"  answered  Roger,  laconically. 

"What !"  shouted  the  world's  leading  financial  figure, 
angrily.  "You  don't  know  your  father,  my  boy. 


22  REVOLT 

Don't  worry  over  me."  Then  turning  to  Falmouth, 
he  almost  shrieked,  "Well!  are  you  going  to  stand 
there  like  a  fool  or  are  you  going  to  answer  my 
question?" 

Although  Falmouth's  face  was  white  with  anger, 
he  answered  in  a  calm  voice. 

"I  know  you  will  pardon  me  for  not  answering  you 
sooner,  Mr.  Morton.  I  am  not  used  to  the  ways  of 
millionaires,  but  you  have  just  proved  a  theory  of 
mine  that  their  ideas  of  common  courtesy  are  in  ratio 
to  their  wealth.  If  you  were  worth  a  few  more  mil 
lions  you  would  be  impossible.  What  was  your  ques 
tion?" 

"You  know  well  enough  what  my  question  was," 
spluttered  the  financier.  "I  asked  if  you  were  the 
man  who  was  filling  my  son's  head  with  socialistic 
rot?" 

"I  am  not  a  socialist,  Sir,"  said  Falmouth.  "If 
you  were  familiar  with  Socialism  you  would  know 
that  I  am  a  philosophic  democrat.  My  works  are 
quite  convincing  on  that  point.  As  to  filling  your 
son's  head  with  anything,  there  again  you  seem  to  be 
at  variance  with  the  methods  of  pedagogics  as  prac 
ticed  at  this  University.  If  your  son's  head  is  filled 
with  anything,  it  is  there  as  a  voluntary  mental  ac 
tivity  of  his  own." 

Holman  and  young  Morton  seemed  to  be  enjoying 
the  discussion.  The  elder  Morton  wouldn't  be  satis 
fied,  however. 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  23 

"All  this  bunk  is  beside  the  point,"  he  stammered. 
"You  have  been  teaching  my  son  to  look  with  dis 
favor  on  money.  That  is  socialism,  as  I  understand 
it." 

"Again  you  are  in  error,"  said  Falmouth,  quietly. 
"I  have  never  even  suggested  that  money  was  some 
thing  to  be  regarded  with  disfavor.  On  the  contrary, 
I  recognize  that  money  is  a  wonderful  medium  when 
used  for  the  purposes  of  exchange.  What  you  prob 
ably  meant  to  say  was  that  I  had  expressed  myself 
very  freely  on  the  subject  of  the  wrongful  use  of  money. 
That  is  a  moral  question  —  and  therefore  not  political 
as  we  interpret  politics  today." 

"Well!  let  me  tell  you  this,  Professor  Falmouth," 
hissed  the  elder  Morton.  "You  are  not  going  to  teach 
this  stuff  at  Harvard  any  more.  I  have  been  watch 
ing  for  you  for  some  time.  I  think  you  and  your 
teachings  are  dangerous.  You  are  going  to  be  re 
moved  as  a  professor  or  I  shall  know  why."  The 
financier  shook  his  fist  in  the  face  of  the  Professor. 
Young  Morton  made  a  move  as  if  to  grab  his  father. 
Falmouth  held  up  his  hand  as  though  weary  of  the 
discussion. 

"Don't  give  yourself  any  uneasiness  about  me, 
young  friend,"  he  said  to  Roger,  and  ignoring  the 
father  entirely.  "There  is  always  some  millionaire 
or  other  who  is  going  to  stop  teaching  the  truth  at 
Harvard  but  they  don't  understand  the  University. 
The  inscription  on  our  shield  is  'Veritas.'  It  means 


24  REVOLT 

truth.  If  a  man  on  the  faculty  teaches  the  truth 
according  to  his  best  lights,  no  millionaire  or  group 
of  millionaires  on  earth  can  have  him  removed.  It 
has  been  tried.  Good  night,  young  friend." 

He  turned  and  walked  slowly  out  of  the  room. 
Dan  Holman  reached  out  his  hand  to  Roger  and  said 
"good  night."  He  also  walked  from  the  room,  with 
out  noticing  the  elder  Morton.  The  young  man  eyed 
his  father. 

"I  warned  you,  Father,"  he  said,  smiling  sadly.  "You 
don't  seem  to  realize  how  cheap  and  vulgar  a  million 
aire  is  at  a  Harvard  Commencement  nowadays,  unless 
he  forgets  his  millions  during  his  visit." 

The  elder  Morton  turned  abruptly  and  went  to  his 
room.  The  reception  broke  up  shortly  afterward. 

Three  events  occurred  the  next  day  that  had  a 
bearing  on  the  later  development  of  our  story.  One 
was  the  conferring  of  the  degree  of  A.F.D.  upon  John 
Paine  Morton  of  New  York.  A  paragraph  from  the 
Boston  Transcript  for  that  evening  recounted  this 
event  as  follows: —  .  .  President  Horton  then  said, 
"to  one  who  has  done  honor  to  his  university,  a  student 
in  the  exacting  science  of  world  finance  —  a  man  whose 
unflinching  courage  and  broad  Americanism  have  been 
combined  in  the  development  of  a  standard  for  the 
dollar  that  has  compelled  its  acceptance  as  the  future 
standard  of  the  entire  world  —  John  Paine  Morton  - 
we  give  this  slight  recognition,  and  confer  the  newly 
created  degree  of  Doctor  of  Administrative  Finance." 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  25 

As  the  noted  financier  stepped  forward  to  receive 
this  fitting  honor  from  his  University,  the  applause 
was  spontaneous  and  cordial 

The  second  event  was  the  delivery  of  the  class 
oration  in  the  Stadium,  by  Dan  Holman.  The  Her 
ald  of  the  next  morning  had  this  to  say  about 
it: 

"During  the  delivery  of  the  oration,  which  took  only 
twenty  minutes,  the  vast  audience  was  held  spell 
bound.  It  was  a  new  experiment,  speaking  in  the 
Stadium,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  will  be  attempted 
again,  it  proved  such  a  stupendous  undertaking. 

"With  a  sounding  board  at  his  back,  Dan  Holman, 
the  class  orator,  was  able  to  make  himself  heard  by 
over  fifty  thousand  people.  No  such  voice  has  ever 
been  heard  at  Harvard.  It  possesses  a  vibrant,  pene 
trating  quality  that  resembles  singing  and  yet  has  no 
monotony.  When  Holman  finished  his  address,  the 
entire  audience  arose  and  cheered  and  the  student- 
body  rushed  to  the  improvised  platform,  lifted  it  from 
the  ground  and  paraded  around  the  Stadium,  with 
Holman  standing  upon  it  and  bowing  to  the 
throng.  His  speech,  in  full,  will  be  found  in  another 
column." 

The  third  event  of  interest  took  place  at  the  home 
of  Professor  Falmouth.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  Roger 
Morton,  in  his  Senior  graduating  togs,  walked  up  the 
front  pathway  and  rang  the  bell.  It  was  answered 
by  Mrs.  Falmouth,  who  showed  him  into  the  sitting 


26  REFOLT 

room  where  Professor  Falmouth  was  waiting.  The 
Professor  arose  and  shook  hands. 

"I  am  sorry  for  what  happened  last  night,  young 
friend,"  he  said. 

"Don't  think  of  it  again,  Professor  Falmouth," 
replied  Roger.  "It  was  just  what  the  Governor  de 
served.  He  asked  for  it  and  he  got  it  —  good  and 
proper."  He  turned  around  expectantly.  "Where 
is  Marta?"  he  asked.  "I  have  a  picture  for  her." 

Mrs.  Falmouth  went  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and 
called,  "Marta,  dear,"  in  a  soft  voice.  "She  will  be 
right  down,"  she  said  to  young  Morton. 

A  moment  later,  a  tall  girl  of  fifteen,  with  lustrous 
eyes,  a  sweet  smile  and  her  hair  done  into  two  long 
braids  such  as  the  opera  stars  who  play  Marguerite 
invariably  effect,  came  shyly  into  the  room. 

Young  Morton  arose  and  greeted  her  warmly. 
"Marta,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "I  have  brought  you  one 
of  my  graduation  photographs.  I  hope  you  won't 
think  me  vain,  but  I  wanted  you  to  remember  me 
and  couldn't  think  of  anything  better  than  my 
photograph." 

He  handed  her  the  photograph.  The  girl  took  it 
and  looked  at  it,  shyly. 

"I  thank  you.  I  shall  never  forget  you,  Mr. 
Morton."  She  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  hur 
riedly  went  back  up  stairs,  clutching  her  precious 
photograph  to  her  bosom. 

"She  thinks  a  great  deal  of  you,  my  young  friend," 


PROLOGUE  -  THE  SEED  IS  PLANTED  27 

was  the  only  comment  Professor  Falmouth  had  to 
make  just  before  Morton  shook  his  hand  and  said 
"good  bye,"  while  up  stairs  in  her  room  a  young  girl 
was  sobbing,  as  if  her  heart  would  break,  over  the 
photograph  of  a  young  man  with  a  mortar  board 
tipped  rakishly  on  the  side  of  his  head  —  which  pho 
tograph  had  inscribed  on  its  back,  "To  my  dear  friend, 
Marta  Falmouth,  from  one  who  will  never  forget  her." 
This  ends  the  prologue,  but  before  going  into  the 
main  story,  which  takes  place  fifteen  years  later,  it 
might  be  well  for  you  to  think  of  John  Paine  Morton, 
the  great  financier  of  New  York,  and  his  son,  living 
and  working  in  the  environment  of  billions,  of  Dan 
Holman,  the  silver  voiced  young  orator,  living  and 
working  in  the  great  American  empire  of  the  Middle 
West,  and  Marta  Falmouth,  living  and  working  with 
her  father,  the  philosophic  and  democratic  Professor, 
at  their  home  in  the  shadow  of  old  Harvard.  Then 
you  can  turn  to  the  story  of  Revolt. 


REVOLT 

CHAPTER  I 

ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE 

As  Roger  Adams  Morton,  third  vice-president  of 
the  Universal  Trust  Company,  was  in  the  midst  of 
his  dictation  one  morning  early  in  April  in  the  year 
1940,  his  private  secretary  handed  him  the  following 
telegram : 

Cambridge,  Mass., 

4  —  12  —  40 
Roger  Adams  Morton, 
Universal  Trust  Co., 
New  York  City. 

Father  very  low.    Anxious  to  see  you.     Have  wired 
for  Mr.  Holman. 

Marta  Falmouth. 

He  read  the  telegram  through  twice  and  said  to  his 
stenographer,  "The  rest  of  the  mail  can  wait,  Miss 
Murray.  I  shall  be  in  Boston  for  the  next  two  days. 
Please  have  Mr.  Stickney  step  in." 

29 


30  REVOLT 

The  stenographer  closed  her  book,  picked  up  a 
bundle  of  letters,  and  stepped  from  the  room.  A 
moment  later,  the  Private  Secretary  entered  and 
waited  for  instructions. 

"My  old  professor  of  economics  at  Harvard  is  very 
low  and  he  has  requested  me  to  see  him,"  said  Morton. 
"Please  phone  the  Grand  Central  to  hold  a  chair  on 
the  Knickerbocker." 

The  Secretary  left  and  the  third  vice-president  of 
the  world's  greatest  financial  institution  stepped  to 
his  clothes  closet,  put  on  his  light  overcoat,  took  his 
hat  and  cane  and  stepped  into  an  inside  automatic 
elevator,  pressed  button  No.  3  and  ten  seconds  later 
walked  into  the  outer  office  of  his  father,  the  President 
of  the  Universal  Trust  Company. 

Without  the  customary  knock  at  the  outer  door, 
he  walked  into  the  spacious  private  office  of  the  Pres 
ident  and  interrupted  that  giant  of  finance  in  one  of 
his  famous  railroad  deals. 

Paying  no  attention  to  the  interruption,  the  elder 
Morton  continued  his  dictation  of  a  contract: — "agrees 
to  furnish  the  sum  of  four  hundred  and  twenty  millions 
of  dollars  and  accept  in  return  for  said  sum  the  entire 
outstanding  gold  bonds  and  the  preferred  shares  of 
the  Chicago  and  Pacific,  the  Chicago  and  Southern 
and  the  Kansas  and  Eastern  railways.*  *  *  ' 

"Just  a  moment,  Father,"  broke  in  the  younger 
Morton.  "I  have  just  received  a  telegram  from  Pro 
fessor  Falmouth's  daughter  saying  that  he  is  very  low 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  31 

and  wishes  to  see  me,  so  I'm  leaving  on  the  Knicker 
bocker  for  Boston.  I  shall  be  back  in  a  couple  of 
days." 

"Falmouth?"  repeated  his  father.  "Isn't  that  the 
socialist  writer  that  I  balled  out  at  your  spread  the 
year  you  graduated?" 

His  son  smiled.  "If  I  remember  the  incident, 
Governor,  he  was  the  one  put  it  over  on  you  and  he 
isn't  a  socialist  writer.  He  is  a  philosophic  democrat 
and  I  regret  to  say  I  haven't  kept  in  personal  touch 
with  him.  Anyhow,  I'll  be  back  in  a  couple  of  days. 
Wire  me  at  the  Huntington  if  you  need  me  urgently. 
Good  day." 

The  President  of  the  Universal  Trust  nodded  and 
turned  to  his  favorite  pastime. 

From  the  Huntington  Hotel  in  Boston,  at  7  o'clock 
that  evening,  Roger  Adams  Morton  called  up  Prof  essor 
Falmouth's  home  in  Cambridge.  A  rich  contralto 
voice  answered  the  phone.  The  mere  telephonic 
"hello"  had  a  musical  sound  as  it  came  to  the  ear  of 
the  caller. 

"May  I  speak  to  Miss  Falmouth,  please?"  said 
Morton. 

"This  is  Marta  Falmouth,"  answered  from  the 
other  end. 

"Good  evening,  Miss  Falmouth.  This  is  Mr. 
Morton.  I  received  your  wire  and  am  in  Boston. 
How  is  your  father?" 

"There  is  no  hope  whatever.    The  doctor  promises 


32  REVOLT 

only  a  few  days  at  the  outside.     Father  is  patiently 
waiting  until  the  end." 

"Shall  I  come  over  this  evening  or  defer  it  until  the 
morning?"  asked  Morton. 

"If  you  could  run  out  this  evening,  I  would  be 
greatly  pleased,"  answered  the  young  woman,  "but 
I  want  you  and  Mr.  Holman  to  see  father  together 
just  as  soon  as  Mr.  Holman  gets  here,  maybe  to 
morrow." 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  arrange  for  that  and  I  will  drive 
over,  right  away,"  said  Morton. 

As  he  alighted  from  the  taxi  and  walked  up  the 
gravelled  path  to  Professor  Falmouth's  home,  his  mind 
recalled  the  visit,  fifteen  years  previously,  when  he 
had  called  to  say  good  bye  to  the  Professor  and  leave 
a  photograph  of  himself  as  a  present  for  the  young 
daughter  of  the  family.  He  pictured  the  shy,  lus 
trous  eyes,  hair-in-braids  young  girl  who  had  thanked 
him  in  confusion  and  then  rushed  up  stairs  to  her  room. 

With  this  vivid  picture  in  his  mind,  the  surprise 
that  came  to  him  as  the  door  opened  in  response  to 
his  ring  was  only  natural.  A  tall  young  woman  who 
might  well  be  the  original  of  any  of  the  statues  that 
typify  grace  and  womanhood  opened  the  door.  A 
hand  was  extended  and  as  he  reached  for  it,  clumsily, 
and  felt  the  firm  pressure  he  found  fault  with  himself 
for  not  having  removed  his  glove.  In  response  to 
the  "So  glad  to  see  you,"  he  stammered  an  incoherent 
"Good  evening." 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  33 

By  this  time  he  was  already  inside  the  house  and 
had  divested  himself  of  hat  and  coat  and  Marta 
Falmouth  was  preceding  him  into  the  sitting  room. 

"Father  insists  upon  sitting  up,  Mr.  Morton,"  she 
said,  "even  though  he  is  very  weak." 

She  crossed  the  room  and  placed  her  hands  upon 
the  top  of  a  high-backed  easy  chair. 

"Father,  dear,  here  is  a  young  friend  of  ours." 

Morton  crossed  to  the  front  of  the  chair  so  that  the 
sick  man  might  have  a  good  look  at  him.  The  lights 
were  low  and  it  was  necessary  for  the  sick  man  to 
look  very  intently  to  make  sure  of  the  features  of  his 
visitor.  Suddenly  the  eyes  lighted  and  a  warm  smile 
spread  over  the  face  that  could  leave  no  doubt  of  the 
thought  that  occasioned  it. 

"Roger!  my  young  friend,"  said  the  Professor. 
"This  is  indeed  a  surprise." 

Already  the  arms  of  the  young  millionaire  were 
around  his  old  teacher  and  without  the  slightest  re 
servation,  the  vice-president  of  the  Universal  Trust 
Co.  had  dropped  to  his  knees  where  he  could  look  into 
the  face  of  the  sick  man. 

"Professor  Falmouth,"  he  said,  "I  am  sorry  to  see 
you  so  ill.  I  am  to  blame  for  not  knowing  about  it." 

"It  is  a  long  time  since  we  saw  you,  young  friend," 
said  the  Professor,  patting  the  hand  of  his  former 
pupil. 

"Twelve  years,"  said  Roger.  "I  came  over  for  the 
third  year  class  celebration  and  met  you,  that  time. 


34  REVOLT 

Since  then,  I  regret  to  say  that  football  games, 
the  boat  races  and  the  Harvard  Club  in  New 
York  have  covered  my  University  activities  and  these 
didn't  keep  me  in  touch  with  the  vital  part  of  the 
college." 

"Well!  you  are  here  now,"  said  the  Prof essor,  "and 
there  is  a  matter  that  I  would  like  to  put  before  you. 
It  is  one  that  I  have  analyzed  and  re-analyzed  until 
I  can  only  see  one  conclusion.  Marta  has  gone  over 
it  with  me  and  she  agrees  with  my  views." 

"I  promise  you  any  help  within  my  power,"  said 
the  young  New  Yorker. 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,"  replied  Professor 
Falmouth.  Then,  looking  up  at  Marta,  he  said,  "Sit 
down,  my  dear,  and  I  will  outline  my  plan  to  our  young 
friend." 

Marta  drew  up  a  chair  and  sat  down.  Her  father 
coughed  to  clear  his  throat  and  continued: 

"America  is  facing  the  greatest  crisis  in  her  entire 
history.  The  election  of  President  this  year,  re 
gardless  of  whether  the  Democratic  or  Republican 
party  is  successful,  means  that  we  are  going  backwards. 
Among  republics  there  is  no  such  thing  as  standing 
still.  We  either  go  ahead  or  run  behind. 

"Therefore,  I  say,  that  without  some  change  in  the 
government  we  will  go  backwards.  I  would  not  dare 
to  predict  the  chaos  that  would  follow  the  first  back 
ward  step  of  the  United  States."  He  paused  for 
breath. 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  35 

"If  the  republicans  elected  their  candidate, 
wouldn't  they  make  some  changes?"  asked  Morton. 

"Not  such  a  change  as  would  spell  advance.  Elect 
ing  presidents  isn't  everything.  The  republicans 
elected  a  president  in  1924  and  they  elected  another 
president  in  1928.  You  know  how  public  opinion 
was  worked  up  against  them.  But  they  were  suc 
cessful  again  in  1932  and  it  wasn't  until  four  years  ago 
that  the  Democratic  party  —  with  Bancroft  —  was 
able  to  carry  the  country.  They  think  he  can 
win  again  this  year,  and  maybe  he  can,  but  neither 
party  presents  an  issue  and  the  reason  is  clear  to 
me." 

"What  is  the  reason?"  asked  Morton,  evidently 
deeply  interested. 

"The  reason  is  that  the  money  power  of  the  United 
States  controls  both  parties.  They  have  gotten  such 
a  hold  on  the  present  day  leaders  in  both  parties  that 
all  thought  of  government  ownership  of  railways, 
telephones,  telegraph  lines  and  the  public  exploitation 
of  natural  resources  has  been  lost  sight  of  except  among 
the  socialists.  Today  America  is  being  exploited 
by  the  wealthy  few  at  the  expense  of  the  hard-work 
ing  many." 

"But,  Professor,  we  tried  Government  ownership, 
during  the  World  War,  and  it  was  a  failure,"  said 
Morton. 

Before  the  Professor  could  reply,  Marta  Falmouth 
spoke. 


36  REVOLT 

"That  is  the  popular  belief,  but  it  is  an  unfair  one, 
Mr.  Morton.  It  is  true  that  we  exercised  control  of 
the  railways  and  the  telephone  and  telegraph  lines 
during  the  war.  It  was  at  a  time  when  labor  con 
ditions  were  bad,  when  the  costs  of  all  materials  were 
excessive,  when  the  work  was  increasing  and  the  men 
to  do  it  were  on  the  decrease.  It  was  the  worst  time 
in  the  history  of  the  country  to  experiment  with  gov 
ernment  ownership. 

"Naturally  there  were  many  complaints  and  a  great 
many  things  went  wrong.  But  we  lose  sight  of  the 
failures  of  governments,  themselves.  Great  nations 
were  being  shaken  to  their  foundation.  Thrones 
were  toppled  over.  Millions  of  men  were  being  slain. 
Governments  were  running  up  debts  that  are  not  yet 
half  paid  and  it  was  nearly  a  quarter  century  ago  that 
the  debts  were  contracted.  And  yet  the  money-kings 
convinced  the  people  that  Government  ownership 
was  a  failure,  while  the  governments  were  proving 
that  the  most  miserable  failures  ever  known  were 
governments  themselves." 

"I  see  your  point,"  smiled  Morton.  "But  I  don't 
see  how  I  can  help." 

"Ah!"  said  Professor  Falmouth,  "that  is  where  you 
are  wrong.  If  you  will  carry  out  my  plan,  I  predict 
the  greatest  success,  and  you  may  save  America  and 
the  world  from  a  revolution  that  if  it  is  not  checked 
will  make  the  great  war  look  as  though  it  were  but 
the  thunder-clap  of  a  storm,  that  will  shake  the  earth 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  37 

from  end  to  end  and  leave  not  one  government  stand- 
ing." 

Morton  shuddered.  The  Professor  had  spoken 
with  such  earnestness  that  a  fit  of  coughing  seized 
him.  His  daughter  put  her  hands  on  his  shoulders 
to  help  him  recover  himself. 

"He  takes  it  so  seriously,"  she  said  in  a  whispered 
aside,  to  Morton.  "He  has  been  hearing  from  many 
sources,  of  late,  and  it  has  had  a  depressing  effect 
upon  him."  The  Professor's  coughing  spell  having 
passed  away,  he  resumed  his  talk. 

"Do  you  wish  to  have  America  overrun  by  an  in 
ternal  revolution?" 

"Certainly  not,"  replied  Morton. 

"If  I  told  you  that  within  six  months  a  revolution 
may  start  that  all  the  police  forces  and  what  little  of 
a  standing  army  we  now  have  cannot  cope  with  in 
any  degree,  would  you  believe  me?"  asked  Professor 
Falmouth. 

"I  would  say  that  you  were  convinced  of 
it  if  you  made  such  a  statement,"  answered 
Morton. 

"Well!  I  do  make  it  and  without  reservation," 
continued  Falmouth.  "Personally,  I  am  convinced 
that  the  contemplated  revolution  is  justified.  I  am 
equally  convinced  that  it  would  not  produce  the  re 
sults  that  its  sponsors  hope  for.  The  reason  it  will 
fail  is  because  it  will  not  be  sufficiently  well  or 
ganized." 


38  REVOLT 

"You  always  believed  in  organization,"  suggested 
Morton. 

"It  is  indispensable,"  went  on  the  Professor.  "If 
I  felt  that  those  at  the  head  of  the  contemplated  re 
volution  were  good  organizers,  I  would  not  have  sent 
for  you,  but  they  are  not.  That  makes  them  danger 
ous.  Organization  has  saved  many  a  rotten  govern 
ment.  Disorganized  revolutions  have  broken  up 
many  governments  and  failed  to  substitute  something 
better  in  their  place.  Here  is  where  you  can  help 
your  country  and  the  world  as  no  other  man  has  helped 
it  since  Lincoln." 

Morton  looked  at  Marta  Falmouth  but  she  was 
intently  watching  her  father.  He  gave  his  attention 
once  again  to  Professor  Falmouth.  With  a  deep  in 
take  of  breath,  the  latter  continued. 

"I  want  you  to  organize  and  finance  a  revolution 
among  the  American  people  that  will  forever  throw 
off  the  shackles  of  the  money  power." 

He  paused.     Morton  made  no  response. 

"Fortunately  for  the  success  of  the  undertaking  the 
time  is  ripe.  It  was  never  more  opportune.  The 
people  are  ready.  They  are  sick  at  heart  trying  to 
get  reforms  at  the  hands  of  the  leaders  of  either  party. 
They  will  rally  to  the  support  of  a  new  party  that 
looks  sufficiently  formidable  to  accomplish  results." 

"You  mean  like  the  Progressive  party  movement, 
back  in  1912?"  asked  Morton. 

"Exactly."  said  the  Professor,  "I  mean  a  new  party, 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  39 

but  I  want  it  honest.  I  don't  want  a  party  made  up 
of  mere  disgruntled  members  of  other  parties,  men 
and  women  who  are  insincere  and  only  looking  for 
personal  glory.  Had  the  Progressive  party  been 
founded  in  truth  it  would  have  swept  the  country. 
But  there  were  certain  phases  of  that  movement  that 
were  dishonest  and  therefore  it  couldn't  offset  the 
two  older  institutions  equally  dishonest  in  many  ways 
but  more  firmly  imbedded. 

"The  organization  I  am  suggesting  to  you,  my  young 
friend,  will  have  every  advantage  that  the  Roosevelt 
party  had  and  none  of  its  drawbacks.  The  demand 
for  it  is  greater.  The  reasons  for  it  are  more  wide 
spread.  The  men  at  the  head  of  it  will  be  guided  by 
purest  of  motives.  It  cannot  fail."  He  paused  for 
breath. 

"Go  on,  Professor  Falmouth,"  said  the  young 
millionaire.  "What  is  to  be  my  part?" 

"That  is  the  spirit,  young  friend.  First  you  must 
believe  that  the  danger  to  our  country  exists.  Second, 
you  must  believe  that  neither  of  the  two  big  parties 
can  combat  the  danger  that  their  continuance  along 
present  lines  constitutes  as  a  genuine  menace  to  the 
republic.  Third,  you  must  pledge  yourself  and  all 
your  resources  to  the  success  of  the  movement." 

"I  agree  to  all  those  propositions  because  I  have 
confidence  in  you,  Professor  Falmouth,"  said  Morton, 
without  hesitation. 

"That  isn't  enough,"  said  Falmouth.     "You  must 


40  REVOLT 

believe  in  them  because  you,  yourself,  realize  their 
soundness.  Tell  me !  How  big  a  secret  service  bu 
reau  does  the  Universal  Trust  Company  maintain?" 

"I  should  say  about  a  thousand  men,  except  on  some 
occasion  like  a  big  strike  or  a  lockout,"  answered 
Morton. 

"How  much  money  do  you  directly  control  in  your 
fifty  branches  throughout  the  world?"  asked  Fal- 
mouth. 

"Maybe  sixty  billions  or  so.  It  varies.  Our  tran 
sactions  are  so  big  that  two  to  five  billions,  either  way, 
may  be  the  exact  figure  on  different  balance  days." 

"Indirectly,  you  control  every  bank  in  America  and 
Canada,  and  most  of  those  in  Europe  and  South 
America.  Isn't  it  so?" 

The  young  man  nodded. 

"Your  father  has  named  the  candidates  for  Presi 
dent  in  both  parties  for  the  past  three  elections  and 
will  name  both  candidates  this  time.  Isn't  that  so?" 
asked  Falmouth. 

"At  least  they  go  through  the  form  of  a  convention 
and  make  regular  nominations,"  suggested  young 
Morton. 

"Very  well  put,"  said  Falmouth,  sarcastically. 
"Well!  the  people  are  beginning  to  feel  that  they  do 
not  want  always  to  vote  for  manikins.  They  don't 
like  to  picture  the  nation  of  Washington,  Franklin, 
Jefferson  and  Lincoln  as  a  continuous  Punch  and 
Judy  show,  with  some  billionaire  pulling  the  strings, 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  41 

even  though  that  billionaire  happens  to  be  your  own 
father." 

"I  don't  blame  them,"  said  Morton.  "I  have  not 
always  agreed  with  father,  but  to  tell  you  the  truth 
I  have  never  discussed  this  phase  of  the  situation 
with  him.  I  imagine  he  thinks  he  is  doing  the  proper 
thing." 

"No  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Falmouth.  "That  is 
what  makes  him  so  dangerous.  He  isn't  open  to 
reason.  He  is  even  a  worse  menace  than  was  the 
Kaiser.  The  Kaiser  was  the  accepted  ruler  of  his 
country.  Your  father  is  a  self-chosen  dictator  in  a 
republic  that  declares  all  men  to  be  equal.  It  is  true 
that  the  only  crime  your  father  has  so  far  committed 
is  the  crime  of  not  understanding  the  people,  but  his 
position  is  such  that  he  endangers  the  very  government 
that  he  governs  with  the  arrogant  use  of  money.  He 
thinks  that  he  and  the  Universal  Trust  Company  are 
the  bulwarks  of  the  nation.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they 
are  the  greatest  dangers  that  confront  an  orderly  con 
tinuance  of  the  republic." 

Young  Morton  was  breathing  heavily.  His  hand 
clasped  one  of  Professor  Falmouth's  in  a  nervous 
grip. 

"Tell  me,  Professor,"  he  said,  excitedly,  "tell  me 
what  you  want  me  to  do.  If  this  is  all  true  then  there 
is  only  one  thing  for  me  to  do  and  that  is  to  try  to 
change  conditions.  Are  you  sure  that  I  can  help  the 
situation?" 


42  REVOLT 

"You  are  the  one  man  in  America  who  can  do  the 
work.  Your  father  could  do  it,  but  he  isn't  available 
for  the  reasons  I  have  given. 

"There  are  none  so  blind,  you  know,  and  your  father 
will  not  see  because  he  cannot.  Environment  has 
made  it  impossible. 

"Holman  is  coming  from  Kansas.  He  will  be  here 
tomorrow.  He  will  be  your  candidate  for  President. 
He  is  an  idealist  —  one  of  our  most  wonderful  orators. 
He  has  spoken  all  over  the  West  as  a  Democrat  but 
I  know  that  he  is  weary  of  the  delays  of  his  party.  I 
am  confident  that  he  will  be  our  leader.  Your  work 
will  be  that  of  financier  and  organizer.  It  is  the  more 
important  task.  Poor  organization  cost  the  repub 
lican  party  the  election  in  1916  and  it  was  a  lesson 
they  never  forgot." 

"It  means  giving  up  my  position  with  the  Universal," 
suggested  Morton. 

"At  once,  or  at  least,  just  as  soon  as  you  have  got 
ten  your  finances  into  shape.  By  the  way,  how  much 
ready  money  could  you  command  for  organization 
purposes?"  asked  Falmouth. 

The  young  millionaire  thought  for  a  few  seconds 
before  answering. 

"I  havn't  taken  an  inventory  for  six  months,"  he  re 
plied.  "Maybe  fifty  millions  in  cash  and  as  much  more 
in  bond  s .  Would  that  be  enough  ?  "  he  asked ,  anxiously . 

Professor  Falmouth  looked  at  the  young  million 
aire  and  then  at  Marta.  A  tear  came  into  his  eye. 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  43 

"Would  you  put  it  all  into  our  great  project?"  he 
asked. 

"Why,  certainly,  Professor.  I  was  wondering  if 
it  would  be  enough  to  carry  us  through." 

"Marta,  my  dear,"  said  Falmouth,  "I  want  you  to 
look  at  one  of  the  world's  curiosities,  an  absolutely 
unspoiled  millionaire.  What  did  I  tell  you  about 
him?  Your  father  was  right.  And  I  am  just  as 
sure  of  Holman."  Then  turning  again  to  Morton, 
he  said: 

"Enough?  Why,  a  hundred  millions  and  the  people 
behind  it  is  equal  to  a  hundred  billions  in  the  hands 
of  your  father.  Money  can  be  used  to  just  such  an 
extent  in  campaigns,  after  which  it  injures  the  very 
cause  that  it  tries  to  help.  We  are  financed.  That 
was  my  first  problem.  Our  candidate  is  Holman 
because  he  will  earn  his  nomination  and  deserve  it. 
We  must  not  make  the  same  mistakes  that  the  other 
parties  are  making.  If  any  other  candidate  shows 
up  that  our  party  wants,  he  will  be  our  leader  and 
Holman  will  help  to  elect  him." 

"You  have  not  mentioned  the  name  of  the  new 
party,"  said  Morton. 

"I  was  purposely  holding  it  back.  It  is  so  radical 
that  if  one  heard  it  without  a  general  idea  of  the  prin 
ciples  for  which  it  stood  it  might  give  the  wrong  im 
pression." 

"Tell  me  the  name!"  said  the  young  financier,  en 
thusiastically. 


44  REVOLT 

"It  is  to  be  the  Revolutionist  party.  No  other 
word  ever  meant  so  much  in  the  onward  progress  of 
the  world.  Let  us  apply  it  to  our  party!" 

"Great!"  shouted  Morton,  standing  up  to  his  full 
height.  "Onward  in  the  name  of  revolt!" 

Marta  Falmouth  also  stood  up. 

"You  must  retire  now,  Father.  You  are  quite  tired," 
she  said,  tenderly. 

"But  it  was  such  a  wonderful  evening,"  said  the 
sick  man.  "All  my  dreams  coming  true.  I  am  rec 
onciled  to  everything.  Good  night,  young  friend." 

"Good  night,  Professor  Falmouth,"  said  Morton, 
shaking  hands.  "I  shall  keep  in  touch  with  the  house 
and  see  you  when  Holman  gets  here."  He  walked 
to  the  door,  accompanied  by  Marta.  Although  he 
had  spent  nearly  an  hour  in  the  house,  he  had  scarcely 
spoken  to  her.  As  they  approached  the  door,  where 
she  handed  him  his  overcoat,  hat  and  stick,  he  noted 
the  extreme  grace  and  assurance  of  her  carriage. 

"I  shall  need  a  great  deal  of  help  in  carrying  out 
such  a  stupendous  undertaking,"  he  said. 

"I  shall  help  you  in  organizing  the  women's  vote. 
They  have  only  had  two  nation-wide  elections  since 
the  acceptance  of  the  amendment,"  she  replied.  "It 
is  their  great  opportunity  to  prove  that  they  should 
have  had  the  franchise  when  the  nation  was  founded." 

"Do  you  feel  that  we  can  depend  upon  the  women?" 
asked  Morton. 

"Women  have  never  failed  when  called  upon  in  the 


ROGER  MORTON  GOES  TO  CAMBRIDGE  45 

proper  way  and  with  the  right  appeal.  I  think,  this 
year,  that  the  women  will  prove  the  balance  of  power 
on  the  right  side." 

"I  shall  need  your  help,  Miss  Falmouth." 

"You  shall  have  it,  Mr.  Morton." 

"Until  tomorrow,"  said  Morton,  in  parting. 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  grateful  I  am  to  you  for 
taking  such  a  wonderful  stand,"  said  Marta.  She 
closed  the  door,  and  before  going  into  the  room  where 
her  father  was  waiting,  she  went  up  stairs,  quietly, 
and  turned  on  the  light  at  her  dresser.  It  lighted  up 
an  old  fashioned  frame  which  held  the  picture  of  a 
young  collegian  in  mortar  board  hat. 

She  picked  up  the  frame  and  looked  intently  into 
the  face  of  the  young  man.  Then  she  bowed  her 
head  on  the  dresser  and  cried  unrestrainedly. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   REVOLUTIONIST  COMPACT 

Dan  Holman  arrived  in  Boston  at  eight-thirty  and 
after  phoning  the  Falmouth  home  and  learning  that 
his  former  class-mate  was  registered  at  the  Hunting- 
ton,  lost  no  time  in  getting  Morton  on  the  phone  and 
making  an  appointment  with  him  to  hold  back  break 
fast  until  Holman  could  join  him. 

"I  shall  be  in  the  main  dining  room,  Dan,"  Morton 
assured  him.  "Look  me  up!" 

So  it  was  that  these  two  men  —  inseparable  while 
at  College  —  met  each  other  face  to  face  for  the  first 
time  in  fifteen  years  in  the  dining  room  of  the  Hunt- 
ington. 

"Dan,  you  surely  look  younger  than  you  did  on 
class  day,"  exclaimed  Morton,  and  his  hearty  hand 
shake  and  enthusiasm  made  the  statement  ring  true. 

"I'm  married.  All  my  troubles  are  over,  Roger," 
said  Holman,  grinning  from  ear  to  ear  in  the  genuine 
pleasure  that  Morton's  greeting  made  him  feel.  "You 
don't  look  as  if  there  was  a  wrinkle  on  your  mind  either." 

"I'm  single  yet,"  said  Morton.  "I've  never  had 
any  troubles."  They  sat  down,  laughing,  while 
several  nearby  diners  cast  inquisitive  glances  in  their 

46 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  COMPACT  47 

direction.  Wherever  Dan  Holman  was,  his  radiant 
personality  compelled  attention. 

"You  visited  with  the  Falmouths,  last  evening, 
so  Miss  Falmouth  told  me  on  the  phone,"  said 
Holman,  after  ordering  breakfast. 

"Yes!  I  ran  over  and  received  the  surprise  of  my 
life,  Dan,"  answered  Morton.  "I  had  a  mental  pic 
ture  of  Marta  Falmouth  as  we  used  to  know  her, 
fifteen  years  ago.  She  has  developed  into  a  wonder 
ful  woman." 

"College  standards?"  asked  Holman. 

"No!  a  type  of  her  own.  Personal  magnetism, 
poise,  all  those  things  that  make  a  woman  different 
and  yet  attractive,"  answered  Morton.  "She  under 
stands  everything  we  discussed  and  it  surely  was  deep 
enough.  I  was  over  my  depth  half  the  time." 

"I  thought  Falmouth  was  too  sick  to  talk  much," 
suggested  Dan. 

"He  is  very  low  —  the  daughter  doesn't  expect  him 
to  live  more  than  a  few  days  —  and  yet  he  put  a  prop 
osition  to  me  in  such  a  way  that  I  accepted  full  re 
sponsibility  on  it,"  said  Morton. 

Holman  looked  at  his  friend  inquiringly. 

"Excuse  me,  Dan,"  he  said,  "but  I'm  all  upset. 
I  knew  you  were  unacquainted  with  Falmouth's  plans 
and  yet  I  am  running  along  just  as  if  you  knew  all 
about  them. 

"Here  is  the  idea.  Falmouth  thinks  that  there  is 
a  great  undercurrent  of  revolution  in  the  country  — 


48  REVOLT 

social,  political  and  economic  —  mostly  political. 
He  says  that  if  it  isn't  checked  that  it  will  sweep 
away  the  government,  but  it  is  so  badly  organized 
that  it  will  not  put  a  substitute  government  in  its 
place.  Chaos  will  result."  Morton  paused  and  looked 
across  at  Holman,  evidently  seeking  a  comment  on  the 
statement. 

"The  old  boy  is  right,"  said  Holman. 

"Have  you  been  in  communication  with  him?" 
asked  Morton  in  surprise. 

"Not  a  word  except  a  telegram.  He  simply  has 
confirmed  my  own  views,"  answered  Holman.  "What 
else  did  he  say?" 

"He  said  that  the  Democratic  and  Republican 
parties  were  controlled  by  the  money  powers  —  mean 
ing  my  father  —  and  that  they  were  hindrances  rather 
than  helps  to  progress,"  continued  Morton. 

"Absolutely  true!"  nodded  Holman.  "They 
have  outlived  their  usefulness  or  rather  I  should 
say  they  have  proven  their  uselessness.  There 
isn't  a  kick  left  in  either  party  —  all  the  kicks 
they  create  come  to  them  from  the  outside.  What 
else?" 

"That's  about  all,"  said  Morton. 

"Oh!  no,  it  isn't,"  exclaimed  Holman,  excitedly. 
"Falmouth  never  outlined  a  bad  condition  without 
offering  a  practical  remedy  to  correct  it.  What  was 
his  solution?" 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  COMPACT  49 

Morton  leaned  over  the  table,  as  though  to  utter 
some  profound  secret. 

"Dan,"  he  whispered,  "would  you  like  to  be  Presi 
dent  of  the  United  States?" 

He  leaned  back  and  eyed  Holman.     The  latter 
looked  back  at  him  —  started  to  speak,  hesitated  — 
then  said: 

"Roger,  I  don't  want  you  to  be  offended  at  what  I 
say,  but  if  your  offer  of  the  Presidency  comes  from 
your  father,  I  must  decline  to  accept  it.  I  know  that 
he  can  nominate  and  probably  elect  any  man  who  will 
allow  himself  to  be  so  nominated  and  elected.  I  de 
cline  the  offer  if  it  is  on  that  basis." 

Morton's  face  was  a  study  in  expressions  while 
Holman  was  speaking.  As  he  finished,  the  young  New 
York  millionaire  did  a  very  unusual  thing  for  a  break 
fast  guest  at  the  Huntington.  He  arose  from  his  seat 
and  went  around  the  table  where  he  could  getHolman's 
hand  and  stood  shaking  it  to  the  evident  embarrass 
ment  of  Holman  and  the  amusement  of  several  guests 
at  adjoining  tables. 

"Dan!"  he  almost  shouted.  "You  are  just  what 
Falmouth  said  you  were  —  the  most  dependable  man 
in  America.  Well!  set  your  mind  at  rest!  The  gov 
ernor  isn't  offering  you  the  Presidency.  You  are  not 
his  type.  But  you  are  the  candidate  of  the  Revolution 
ist  party  and  we  are  going  to  lick  the  Republican  and 
Democratic  candidates  so  bad  that  they  will  stop 


50  REFOLT 

fighting  each  other  in  public  and  will  console  each  other 
in  private  for  years  to  come." 

He  resumed  his  seat  and  during  the  rest  of  the 
breakfast  outlined  the  plans  for  a  new  party  as  gone 
over  with  Professor  Falmouth  the  night  before. 

After  breakfast  they  retired  to  Morton's  suite  and 
continued  to  talk  regarding  the  formation  of  the  new 
party.  Only  one  point  hadn't  been  mentioned  and 
that  was  regarding  the  finances.  Finally  Holman 
introduced  that  phase  of  the  plans. 

"By  the  way,  Roger,"  he  said,  "you  realize  that  all 
this  is  going  to  cost  money  —  a  great  deal  of  money  — 
and  while  I  am  willing  to  contribute  my  share,  I 
doubt  if  I  could  raise  over  ten  thousand  on  the  place. 
I  will  go  my  limit,  but  we  should  start  without  any 
misunderstandings . ' ' 

Morton  was  standing  at  one  of  the  windows,  look 
ing  out  on  the  passing  automobiles.  A  gulp  came 
into  his  throat.  He  turned  slowly  and  said,  with 
evident  effort : 

"I've  been  asleep  for  fifteen  years,  Dan.  I  awake 
to  find  a  man  like  Falmouth,  with  death  staring  him 
in  the  face,  giving  the  last  few  hours  of  his  life  to  a 
cause  and  now  you  tell  me  you  will  mortgage  your 
home  to  carry  out  an  idea.  No!  I  am  going  to  do 
something  on  my  own  account.  I  shall  do  the 
financing.  It  seems  such  a  little  part  of  the 
movement  that  I  am  almost  ashamed  of  my  con 
tribution." 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  COMPACT  51 

"Well,"  said  Holman,  laconically,  "don't  give 
yourself  any  uneasiness.  You  will  not  be  ashamed 
of  what  you've  done  when  you  see  the  bills  you'll 
have  to  pay." 

The  meeting  between  Professor  Falmouth  and 
Holman  was  a  repetition  of  the  meeting  of  the  night 
before  between  the  Professor  and  Morton,  except  that 
the  surprise  was  lacking.  Holman  lost  no  time  in 
letting  his  former  instructor  know  that  he  and  Morton 
had  come  to  a  thorough  understanding. 

"I  knew  you  would,  Dan,"  said  the  sick  man, 
brokenly,  "I  told  him  you  were  dependable.  It  is  a 
great  opportunity.  It  is  the  only  sane  solution  of  a 
bad  situation.  Play  fair!  Be  honest!  Don't  com 
promise  !  Always  keep  in  mind  the  thought  that  the 
people  are  intelligent  enough  to  be  trusted." 

Holman  arose  to  go.  Morton  and  Marta  Falmouth 
were  in  the  adjoining  room,  conversing. 

"Tell  Marta  and  Roger  to  come  here,"  said  Fal 
mouth.  Holman  stepped  to  the  door  and  called  them. 

When  the  three  were  standing  before  him,  the  sick 
man  said: 

"I  may  not  see  you  two  boys  again.  I  will  soon  be 
called  into  the  land  where  politics  and  strife  are  not 
part  of  the  relationships.  I  leave  the  world  with  only 
one  regret,  that  I  may  not  see  our  new  party  triumph 
ant.  Marta  and  I  are  reconciled  to  my  going.  It 
is  only  the  closing  of  the  door  of  life.  Let  our  good 
bye  be  pleasant.  Start  your  new  work  at  once. 


52  REVOLT 

Marta  will  join  you  and  begin  her  organization  of  the 
Women's  Branch  very  soon. 

"Do  not  falter!  Do  not  be  discouraged!  Organ 
ize!  Keep  uppermost  the  object  you  wish  to  attain 
-  the  salvation  of  America  and  the  stability  of  re 
publican  forms  of  government  throughout  the  world. 
Good  bye!" 

Holman  and  Morton  each  clasped  the  hand  of  the 
Professor  in  a  firm  grip  and  he  closed  his  eyes, 
wearily. 

Holman  said  "good  bye"  to  Marta  at  the  door  and 
Morton  followed  him.  The  young  woman  answered 
the  pressure  of  his  hand  and  said  feelingly,  "You  have 
been  very  kind.  Father  talked  about  you  all  the 
morning.  I  shall  write  you  the  day  before  I  come  to 
New  York." 

"I  will  send  you  my  new  address  just  as  soon  as  I 
am  settled,"  said  Morton. 

A  look  of  consternation  passed  over  Marta's  face. 

"Why!  I  didn't  think  of  that.  Your  relations 
with  your  father  must  be  broken,"  she  said. 

"At  once,"  answered  Morton,  quietly. 

"And  you  are  not  disturbed?"  she  asked. 

"Not  so  much  as  the  Governor  will  be  when  we  get 
going,"  he  replied. 

"Good  bye,"  she  said.    "I  will  write  you,  very  soon." 

Morton  joined  Holman  in  the  machine  and  they 
returned  to  the  Huntington. 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  COMPACT  53 

"How  soon  can  you  join  me  in  New  York  for  organ 
ization  purposes,  Dan,"  asked  Roger. 

"Within  ten  days,"  answered  Holman. 

"I  shall  be  ready  in  that  time.  Meanwhile  I  shall 
prepare  a  brief  statement  for  the  benefit  of  my  dear 
father  so  that  he  will  know  that  I  mean  business  in  my 
new  venture." 

"How  do  you  think  he  will  feel  about  it,  Roger?" 
asked  Holman. 

"Don't  know  and  don't  care.  We  have  got  to  go 
through.  The  country  is  in  danger  and  we  love  our 
country.  Fathers  or  no  fathers,  Public  duty  comes 
before  filial  affection,"  replied  Holman. 

"By  the  way,  Roger,"  asked  Holman,  "was  Marta 
Falmouth  in  the  room  last  evening  when  the  Professor 
put  his  proposition  to  you?" 

"She  was!"  answered  Morton.     "Why?" 

"I  was  wondering,  that's  all,"  said  Holman. 

"Wondering  what?"  asked  Morton,  anxiously. 

"Wondering  if  she  understood  the  entire  movement 
in  all  its  ramifications,"  replied  Holman,  evasively. 

"Certainly!"  replied  Morton,  in  a  tone  of  relief. 
"She  is  familiar  with  every  phase  of  it.  In  fact,  she 
is  to  have  entire  charge  of  the  women's  end  of  the 
movement.  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  it  turned  out 
to  be  the  most  important  end." 

"I  would  say  that  any  end  she  undertook  would  be 
important  before  she  got  through  with  it,"  ventured 
Holman. 


54  REVOLT 

"Wonderful,  isn't  she?"  suggested  Morton. 

"Wonderful  is  the  only  word,  Roger,"  said  Holman, 
smiling. 

"I'm  glad  you  agree  with  me,"  said  the  millionaire 
revolutionist. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE  HOUSE  OF  MORTON  DIVIDES 

The  scene  between  the  President  of  the  Universal 
Trust  Company  and  his  son,  one  of  the  vice-presidents, 
on  the  occasion  when  the  latter  explained  that  he  in 
tended  to  devote  his  time,  attention  and  money  to  the 
formation  of  a  new  party  and  the  election  of  a  presi 
dent  of  the  United  States  of  America,  might  be  car 
tooned  and  labelled  a  "storm  at  sea." 

It  was  elemental  from  start  to  finish.  It  took  place 
three  days  after  Roger  had  returned  from  his  visit  to 
Professor  Falmouth.  After  three  days  of  business 
activity,  during  which  he  had  made  every  possible 
arrangement  for  converting  his  personal  holdings  into 
cash  or  United  States  bonds,  Roger  had  dictated 
his  resignation  as  vice-president  and  handed  it 
to  one  of  the  bank's  messengers  to  lay  before  the 
President. 

The  elder  Morton  opened  the  letter,  read  it  at  a 
glance,  stared  at  it  in  consternation  for  a  moment 
and  as  was  his  custom  expressed  himself  out  loud. 
He  said,  "Well!  I'll  be  damned." 

As  the  messenger  had  not  yet  reached  the  door,  he 
shouted  at  him  to  "tell  Vice-President  Morton  I  would 
like  to  see  him  here,  at  once."  The  messenger  in- 

55 


56  REVOLT 

dicated  that  he  understood  the  order  and  continued 
on  his  way. 

The  male  stenographer  of  the  President  looked  up 
at  his  chief  and  said,  "Anything  else,  Mr.  Morton?" 
to  which  the  President  replied,  "Yes!  get  to  hell  out 
of  here!" 

With  the  room  clear  and  with  a  cigar  half  bitten 
through  in  his  mouth,  the  world's  money  king  began 
to  pace  up  and  down  the  Chinese  rug  that  occupied 
the  central  space  in  the  office.  He  was  emitting  low 
growls  as  befitted  a  king  of  the  forest  but  were  en 
tirely  out  of  keeping  with  the  dignity  of  a  money  king. 

At  about  the  fifth  tee  in  the  President's  walk  Roger 
Morton  walked  quietly  into  the  room.  At  least  his 
entrance  was  marked  by  no  outward  sign  of  enthusi 
asm. 

"What  in  hell  is  the  meaning  of  this  resignation 
stuff?"  shouted  Morton,  Senior. 

"Something  more  important  to  do,  Father,"  an 
swered  the  younger  Morten. 

"Nothing  more  important  on  earth  than  helping 
run  this  Trust  Company,"  retorted  his  father. 

"I  disagree  with  you,  Father,"  replied  Roger,  "and 
I  wish  to  take  up  the  new  work  at  once." 

"Well!  tell  it  to  me!  Out  with  it!  What  is  the 
big  job  you're  going  to  handle?  Tell  papa!"  said 
Morton,  sarcastically. 

Ignoring  the  taunt  and  in  an  even  tone,  the  young 
man  replied: 


THE  HOUSE  OF  MORTON   DIVIDES  57 

"I  have  agreed  to  help  organize  a  new  party  and 
try  to  elect  a  President,  this  Fall,  who  will  be  respon 
sible  to  the  wishes  of  the  people." 

The  elder  Morton  threw  up  both  hands.  He  gave 
vent  to  a  wild  laugh  and  then,  as  if  he  couldn't  con 
trol  himself,  went  to  his  chair  and  sat  down.  Rec 
ognizing  the  attitude  as  part  bluff  and  all  sarcasm, 
the  younger  man  said  nothing.  He  waited,  all  the 
time  the  lines  of  his  face  becoming  more  firmly  drawn. 

Having  exhausted  the  situation  from  a  laughing 
standpoint,  the  elder  Morton  took  it  up  again  verbally. 
As  though  he  hadn't  heard  aright,  he  said: 

"You  are  going  to  do  what?" 

"You  heard  exactly  what  I  said,"  replied  the  son, 
curtly.  "If  you  will  stop  acting  like  a  damn  fool, 
I  will  talk  to  you."  It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life 
that  he  had  ever  spoken  so  sharply  to  his  father. 

The  face  of  the  elder  Morton  reddened  and  an  angry 
light  came  into  his  eye.  His  voice  was  harsh  and 
charged  with  feeling  when  he  replied: 

"Did  you  mean  that,  Roger?" 

"I  did,"  answered  Roger,  calmly. 

"You  realize  what  it  means  for  a  son  to  call  his 
father  a  damn  fool?"  asked  Morton,  Senior. 

"A  great  deal  less  than  it  means  for  a  father  to 
treat  his  son  like  one!"  retorted  Roger. 

"Have  I  treated  you  like  one?"  asked  the  elder. 

"Positively,  and  for  thirty  years,"  answered  the 
young  man. 


58  REVOLT 

"Why  not  since  you  were  born?"  asked  the  elder. 

"I  was  independent  up  to  eight  years  of  age,"  re 
plied  Roger. 

"This  is  interesting,"  said  the  elder.  "I'm  learn 
ing  something  every  minute.  Tell  me,  how  did  you 
lose  your  independence  at  eight?" 

"You  gave  me  a  million  dollars  on  my  eighth  birth 
day  and  since  then  I  have  never  been  able  to  think 
except  as  a  millionaire." 

"Really,  my  boy,  I  can't  follow  your  process  of 
reasoning,  at  all,"  replied  his  father,  picking  up  a 
paper  knife  and  playing  with  it  nervously.  "Tell  me, 
how  does  a  millionaire  do  his  thinking?" 

"Through  his  money.  Money  thinks  as  well  as 
talks,"  snapped  Roger. 

"Well !  if  you  are  not  getting  epigrammatic,"  sneered 
the  elder.  "Having  had  a  hundred  million  or  so 
forced  on  to  you  by  indulgent  parents,  how  are  you 
going  to  think  except  as  a  millionaire,  even  if 
you  wished  to  think  independently?"  asked  his 
father. 

"I  shall  put  all  my  money  to  a  noble  purpose," 
said  Roger. 

"Politics  is  a  noble  pursuit  then,  according  to  your 
view!"  returned  the  elder  Morton. 

"Anything  is  a  noble  pursuit  if  the  end  sought  is  to 
uplift  humanity,"  replied  Roger. 

The  elder  Morton  looked  at  the  ceiling  of  the  office 
as  though  for  inspiration.  When  he  spoke,  it  was  as 


THE  HOUSE  OF  MORTON  DIVIDES  59 

though  he  were  trying  to  control  himself  and  finding 
the  task  exceedingly  difficult. 

"Will  you  answer  me  two  or  three  questions  with 
out  losing  your  temper?"  he  asked. 

"If  they  are  questions  that  warrent  temperate 
answers  —  yes,"  answered  Roger. 

"Who  started  you  thinking  like  this?" 

"Professor  Falmouth,"  replied  Roger. 

"How  far  have  you  committed  yourself  to  go?" 
interrogated  the  elder  Morton. 

"I  gave  my  word  to  a  dying  man  to  go  the  limit  of 
my  resources,"  said  Roger,  firmly. 

"Who  is  your  candidate  for  President,  if  I  may  ask?" 

"Certainly,  you  may.  My  own  personal  choice  is 
Dan  Holman  of  Kansas." 

"And  what  is  to  be  the  name  of  the  new  party?" 
queried  the  elder. 

"The  Revolutionist  party,"  answered  Roger,  snap 
ping  out  the  words  as  though  the  party  were  already 
a  fact. 

At  the  name,  the  world's  money  king  shivered  as 
though  a  pail  of  cold  water  had  been  thrown  over  him. 

"You  realize  that  I  expect  to  elect  the  President 
this  Fall?"  he  asked. 

"You  will  be  disappointed,"  laconically  replied 
Roger. 

"It  was  to  be  my  last  political  appearance,"  said 
his  father.  "I  had  hoped  you  would  join  with  me 
in  the  interest  of  conservatism.  But  you  have  chosen 


60  REFOLT 

to  challenge  the  honesty  and  the  ability  of  your  father. 
I  accept  the  challenge.  I  realize  that  there  has  been 
considerable  unrest  —  a  great  deal  of  socialistic  talk 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  but  we  have  had  that  sort 
of  situation  to  face  on  many  an  occasion  and  con 
servatism  always  won  in  the  end. 

"From  now  I  shall  look  upon  you  as  my  most  bitter 
enemy.  I  had  planned  things  very  differently.  I  was 
afraid  of  something  like  this,  but  I  was  hopeful  that  as 
you  grew  older  you  would  see  the  fallacy  of  the  teach 
ings  of  men  like  Falmouth  and  the  yappings  of  men 
like  Holman.  I  am  a  fighter,  sir,  and  I  propose  to 
let  you  know  just  how  hard  a  fighter  before  I  am 
through  with  you." 

He  drew  himself  up  proudly,  and  with  a  graceful 
bow,  said: 

"The  interview  is  ended,  sir."  Roger  looked  at  him 
for  a  second,  then  smiled  broadly. 

"I  want  to  thank  you  for  one  thing,  Governor,"  he 
said.  "At  least  you  have  taken  me  seriously  for  once 
in  your  life,  and  you  can  put  this  thought  in  your  mind, 
that  from  now  on  —  win  or  lose  —  you  will  treat  me 
as  an  equal.  Good  day,  sir." 

He  turned  and  walked  quietly  from  the  room.  As 
the  door  closed  behind  him,  the  elder  Morton  reached 
for  the  mutilated  cigar  in  his  mouth,  threw  it  away 
across  the  room,  punched  a  bell  on  his  desk  and 
when  his  male  stenographer  answered  the  sum 
mons,  began  to  dictate  letters  in  the  rapid-fire 


THE  HOUSE  OF  MORTON  DIVIDES  61 

manner  that  characterized  his  most  impulsive 
moments. 

All  that  the  Secretary  was  thinking,  as  he  me 
chanically  flashed  his  pencil  across  his  note-book  was 
this: 

"Somebody  has  surely  got  the  old  man's  goat,  this 
time." 


CHAPTER  IV 

MARTA  FALMOUTH  REACHES  NEW  YORK 

It  was  four  days  after  the  break  with  his  father  that 
Roger  met  Marta  Falmouth  at  the  Grand  Central 
Station,  in  response  to  her  telegram  saying  she  would 
arrive  at  six  in  the  evening.  Their  greeting  was  very 
formal.  While  holding  Roger's  hand  in  a  firm  grip 
she  looked  him  squarely  in  the  eyes  and  said,  "He  was 
quite  composed  at  the  end.  His  very  last  words  were, 
'there  is  not  a  moment  to  lose,  Goodbye!'  A  few 
friends  attended  the  services  yesterday  afternoon  at 
Mount  Auburn." 

Silently  Roger  directed  the  way  to  the  auto  en 
trance  where  his  car  was  stationed.  The  porter  de 
posited  Marta's  handbag  beside  the  chauffeur  and 
received  his  tip  from  him,  as  Marta  sank  back  into 
the  deep  cushions  of  the  limousine. 

"You  are  tired,  Miss  Falmouth?"  suggested  Morton, 
giving  his  entire  attention  to  the  young  woman. 

"Only  momentarily,  Mr.  Morton.  I  shall  be  ready 
for  work  tomorrow." 

"I  have  reserved  apartments  for  you  at  the  Park 
way,"  said  Roger. 

A  look  of  consternation  crept  over  the  face  of  the 
young  woman. 

62 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  REACHES  NEW   YORK        63 

"I'm  afraid   that  the  Parkway  is  too  magnificent 
-  too  formidable,  you  might  say  —  for  our  purposes. 
Don't  you  think  so?" 

Roger  smiled.  "I'll  admit  that  the  Parkway  is  the 
best  New  York  affords  in  hotels,  but  I  have  gone  over 
the  entire  situation  thoroughly. 

"One  of  the  great  mistakes  in  all  reform  movements 
has  been  the  assumption  that  the  people  were  either 
ignorant  or  poor,  or  both,  and  that  every  appeal  for 
political  change  or  advancement  had  to  be  made  from 
the  doorstep  of  a  tenement  house  or  the  front  gate  of 
a  factory. 

"My  contention  is  that  the  battle  for  the  people's 
rights  is  a  battle  of  intelligence  and  intelligence  means 
organization.  We  have  the  funds  we  need.  We  must 
meet  the  enemy  on  common  ground.  To  attract  the 
attention  of  the  country  and  make  people  think,  we 
must  let  the  country  at  large  feel  that  we  are  con 
ducting  a  different  movement  than  has  ever  been 
conducted. 

"You  will  be  expected  to  appeal  to  the  women 
voters.  You  must  entertain  the  big  women  of  the 
country.  The  Parkway  is  better  equipped  to  fur 
nish  entertainment  than  any  other  hotel  in  New  York. 
You  understand  that  the  leaders  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  the  Republican  party  will  be  making  every 
kind  of  National  appeal  for  the  support  of  the  women. 
We  must  utilize  every  advantage  that  money  can 
honestly  command." 


64  REVOLT 

The  young  woman  nodded  her  head  as  though 
satisfied. 

"I  presume  that  the  so-called  social  advantages  of 
the  Parkway  must  not  be  thrust  aside,  lightly.  Had 
you  consulted  Mr.Holman  on  this  phase  of  our  plans?" 
asked  Marta. 

"Not  at  all.  No  need  of  it,"  answered  Morton. 
"Holman  is  an  idealist,  it  is  true,  but  that  doesn't 
mean  that  he  is  not  practical  in  everything.  There 
are  two  kinds  of  idealists,  those  who  are  merely  dream 
ers  and  never  wake  up  and  those  who  wish  to  get  re 
sults.  Among  the  latter  were  Franklin,  Washington, 
Jefferson,  Lincoln,  Roosevelt — men  who  went  through 
to  the  finish.  They  never  lowered  their  ideals  and 
yet  they  were  practical  in  everything. 

"Dan  Holman  is  an  idealist  but  he  is  thoroughly 
practical.  He  knows  that  we  can't  limit  our  appeal 
to  the  so-called  laboring  class.  There  aren't  enough 
of  them.  There  are  the  professional  men,  the  farmers, 
the  small  business  men,  the  clerks,  and  all  the  thinking, 
liberal-minded  men  among  the  well-to-do  and  even 
the  wealthy  classes.  Dan  is  adaptable.  He  can 
address  a  meeting  at  the  Parkway  and  one  on  the 
East  Side  on  the  same  evening." 

"I  see!"  smiled  Marta.  "You  will  pardon  my  sug 
gestion,  I  know.  You  understand  that  all  I  seek  is  a 
realization  of  father's  hopes.  I  know  you  won't  be 
offended  when  I  say  that  I  am  surprised  and  pleased 
to  find  you  so  confident  and  so  sure  of  what  you  are 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  REACHES  NEW  YORK         65 

doing.  Your  environment  has  been  away  from  the 
practical.  We  are  prone  to  associate  every  man's 
capabilities  with  his  environment." 

"Only  natural,"  replied  Roger.  "I  do  it  myself. 
I  try,  always,  to  be  sure  of  my  ground  before  reaching 
a  conclusion.  I  have  learned  that  every  working  man 
isn't  a  brilliant  philosopher  just  because  he  is  a  work 
ing  man  and  that  every  millionaire  isn't  a  heartless, 
unthinking  machine  intent  on  making  money.  There 
are  degrees.  Some  workmen  would  bore  me  to  death 
and  some  of  my  wealthiest  club  friends  are  the  most 
human,  most  loveable  men  that  God  ever  made. 

"Our  fight  is  not  to  convince  the  country  that  the 
money-power  of  a  group  of  millionaires  is  a  menace. 
Everybody  knows  that,  who  has  given  it  the  least 
thought.  Our  fight  is  to  rid  the  country  of  this  men 
ace,  to  defeat  money-controlled  officials  and  substitute 
officials  who  are  in  direct  touch  with  the  people.  It 
means  getting  voters  from  every  walk  of  life  in  suffi 
cient  numbers  to  elect  our  candidates. 

"Everybody  thought  that  because  my  father  was 
President  of  the  Universal  Trust  Co.  that  my  position 
was  a  sinecure.  It  would  have  been  if  I  had  allowed 
myself  to  grow  stale  on  the  job.  But  I  became  ob 
sessed  with  organization  as  a  science,  at  least  ten 
years  ago,  and  the  Universal  is  organized  along  my 
plans." 

He  leaned  forward.  He  had  talked  very  earnestly. 
Suddenly  he  stopped  in  confusion. 


66  REVOLT 

"I  don't  know  why  I  rattled  on  like  this  about  my 
self,  Miss  Falmouth,"  he  said,  "unless  it  is  because  I 
want  you  to  have  confidence  in  me  —  not  in  my 
honesty  of  purpose  merely,  but  in  my  ability  to  organ 
ize  this  movement.  You  see,  if  you  are  sure  of  my 
ability  to  organize  you  can  explain  it  and  impart  your 
confidence  in  me  to  the  women  whom  you  meet.  The 
corner  stone  of  good  organization  is  absolute  confi 
dence  among  those  who  make  up  the  organization." 

The  car  had  now  come  to  a  stop  in  the  auto  elevator 
at  the  Parkway.  The  big  lift  started  upward.  At 
the  second  floor  the  elevator  door  opened  and  an 
attendant  took  the  hand-bag  tendered  him  by  the 
chauffeur.  Roger  and  Marta  alighted.  "Nine 
o'clock,  here,"  said  Roger  to  his  driver.  They  entered 
the  Hotel. 

"I  have  engaged  a  matron  and  two  maids  for  your 
apartments,  Miss  Falmouth,"  he  said,  as  they  made 
their  way  toward  the  office.  "You  will  add  to  them 
as  the  campaign  goes  on.  I  will  register  for  you." 

As  Marta  Falmouth  stood  in  the  magnificent  lobby 
of  the  Parkway  and  watched  Roger  Morton  cross  to 
the  desk  she  couldn't  help  but  note  the  deferential 
glances  that  numerous  guests  of  the  hotel  cast  in  his  di 
rection.  It  was  evident  that  the  handsome  young  son 
of  the  world's  money-king  was  not  without  admirers. 

When  Roger  returned  to  her,  he  was  accompanied 
by  a  sleek-looking  man  whom  he  presented  as  "Mr. 
Martin,  the  hotel  manager." 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  REACHES  NEW   YORK       67 

"Miss  Falmouth,  the  Parkway  will  do  everything 
in  its  power  to  make  your  stay  an  agreeable  one.  I 
want  you  to  refer  everything  of  importance  to  me 
personally,"  said  the  manager. 

As  the  manager  left,  Marta  Falmouth  began  to 
realize  the  great  advantage  of  having  a  man  of  Mor 
ton's  standing  in  charge  of  all  arrangements.  Al 
though  unused  to  hotel  life,  she  surmised  that  the 
manager  of  the  Parkway  didn't  come  into  personal 
contact  with  every  guest  of  the  hotel.  It  was  not 
until  they  were  ushered  into  the  parlor  of  the  suite 
that  Roger  had  selected  for  her  that  it  struck  her 
forcibly  that  she  was  entering  a  new  world  entirely. 
Would  her  idealism  stand  up  under  all  this  magnifi 
cence,  she  wondered. 

Roger  presented  the  matron,  who  immediately  took 
Marta's  wraps  and  suggested  that  she  remove  her  hat. 
She  left  them  alone  and  Roger  drew  up  a  chair  close 
to  the  sofa  on  which  Marta  had  seated  herself. 

"Your  father  is  right.  There  isn't  a  moment  to 
lose.  But  that  doesn't  mean  that  we  are  not  to  take 
the  best  care  of  ourselves.  It  is  going  to  be  a  hard 
summer's  work  for  everybody. 

"Here  are  the  rules.  No  worry.  No  hurry  over 
food.  No  neglect  of  dentistry  or  doctors  when  we 
need  them.  Health  is  very  important.  Rest  and 
plenty  of  it.  Enthusiasm,  work,  and  application, 
but  each  in  its  place.  I  know  you  would  like  to  plan, 
tonight,  but  I  will  be  ready  in  the  morning  and  we 


68  REVOLT 

will  look  over  the  women's  offices  at  ten-thirty.  I 
have  merely  selected  them  —  the  equipment  and 
choice  of  staff  is  entirely  in  your  hands. 

"For  tonight,  I  want  you  to  dine  in  your  suite, 
have  a  good  night's  rest  and  be  ready  for  a  big  day's 
work  tomorrow.  The  matron  will  see  that  your 
trunk  is  brought  up. 

"One  little  matter  that  we  must  settle  some  time 
and  it  might  as  well  be  now  —  the  question  of  finances. 
As  general  manager  of  the  women's  branch  of  the 
Revolutionist  party  you  can  draw  any  amount  of 
money  you  need,  at  any  time.  This  is  for  personal 
needs  as  well  as  official  needs.  I  think  that  is  all, 
Miss  Falmouth." 

He  rose  to  go.    Marta  stood  up. 

"No!  it  isn't  quite  all,  Mr.  Morton.  I  have  some 
thing  to  say.  I  think  you  are  a  wonderful  organizer. 
You  make  me  feel  almost  childish  one  minute  and 
the  next  you  make  me  feel  as  if  I  was  going  to  be  of 
great  help. 

"I  admit  that  I  started  for  New  York  with  great 
hopes  and  then  as  I  approached  the  city  and  I  saw 
how  big  it  was  and  I  began  to  realize  how  big  our 
country  is  and  how  complex  its  political  and  social 
structure,  I  felt  faint.  My  courage  came  back  after 
I  met  you. 

"Now  that  I  see  the  ease  with  which  you  go  at 
things  —  the  direct  way  in  which  your  mind  works, 
I  feel  a  confidence  that  I  have  never  felt  before." 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  REACHES  NEW  YORK     69 

She  reached  for  his  hand  to  say  good  night  and  as 
he  looked  into  her  face  he  saw  a  beautiful  glow  spread 
over  it  as  one  sees  the  sun  light  up  a  hillside  when  its 
rays  burst  from  behind  a  cloud  on  a  summer's  day. 

"Good  night.  I  shall  be  looking  for  you  at  ten- 
thirty,"  she  said. 

"Good  night,  Miss  Falmouth,"  said  Roger  Morton. 

He  walked  toward  the  elevator  and  reached  the 
office  floor  before  he  noticed  that  he  had  neither  hat 
nor  top  coat  with  him.  So  he  waited  while  a  boy 
went  to  Marta's  apartments  to  get  them,  all  the  while 
wondering  what  she  would  think  of  a  man  who  claimed 
to  be  an  organizer  and  who  forgot  to  take  his  hat  and 
coat  on  leaving  an  apartment. 

"She  must  think  I'm  pretty  stupid,  "was  the  thought 
running  through  his  mind. 

But  Marta  Falmouth  wasn't  thinking  any  such 
thing.  She  was  thinking  —  but  what  right  has  even 
an  author  to  invade  the  privacy  of  a  young  woman's 
thoughts  when  she  is  deeply  in  love  with  a  man  and 
is  trying  not  to  show  it  to  anybody. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  REVOLT  BEGINS  TO  ORGANIZE 

The  following  morning,  promptly  at  ten-thirty, 
Roger  Morton  sent  word  to  Marta  Falmouth's  apart 
ments  in  the  Parkway  that  he  was  waiting  on  the 
office  floor.  He  was  pleased  when  the  young  woman 
joined  him,  without  any  apparent  lapse  of  time. 

"We  will  walk  through  and  then  down  the  Avenue," 
he  suggested.  "I  have  chosen  rooms  in  the  new  block 
at  the  corner  of  Forty-second.  Most  central  location 
and  will  be  very  handy  for  all  women  visitors." 

They  joined  the  ceaseless  throng  of  well  dressed 
men  and  women  who  frequent  the  Avenue  at  this 
popular  morning  hour.  Although  of  athletic  build 
and  proud  of  his  stride  Roger  couldn't  help  but  notice 
the  sure,  well-balanced  steps  that  carried  Marta 
Falmouth  along  with  him. 

Commenting  on  current  topics  the  young  million 
aire  kept  up  a  running  conversation  until  they  reached 
the  office  building  he  had  selected  for  the  Women's 
Branch  Headquarters.  They  alighted  at  the  sixth 
floor  in  spite  of  the  elevator  man's  remark, "No  tenant 
on  this  floor,  Sir." 

The  elevator  opened  into  a  series  of  reception  halls 
that  were  bare  of  furniture.  Roger  had  a  key  and 

70 


THE  REVOLT  BEGINS  TO  ORGANIZE  71 

opened  the  door  leading  into  the  front  series  of  offices. 
He  walked  to  the  corner  room  overlooking  the  Avenue 
and  indicated  the  view  down  that  imposing  thorough 
fare. 

"This  will  be  your  office,  Miss  Falmouth," 
he  said,  with  a  smile,  "and  the  rest  of  the  floor 
will  be  divided  up  to  suit  your  executive  assist 
ants  and  office  force.  The  flag  will  fly  from  this 
window  and  at  night  there  will  be  an  electric 
sign  in  constant  activity.  The  design  is  being 
drafted." 

"Have  you  already  designed  the  flag  for  the  party?" 
inquired  Marta. 

"Only  roughly.  I  suggested  to  an  artist  a  duplicate 
of  the  flag  of  the  thirteen  colonies,  with  a  letter  for 
each  of  the  stars." 

The  young  lady  counted  quickly  in  her  mind  before 
answering. 

"Why,  I  hadn't  thought  of  it  before.  There  are 
thirteen  letters  in  Revolutionist.  I'm  glad  you  are 
not  afraid  of  the  foolish  superstition  that  goes  with 
the  number." 

"On  the  contrary,"  answered  Morton,  "I  was 
afraid  of  it,  so  I  deliberately  associated  it  with  the 
thirteen  colonies.  That  will  turn  it  to  account. 
Politics  is  just  a  game  in  which  the  side  that  takes 
advantage  of  everything  oftener  than  the  other  side 
is  counted  the  winner." 

"When  am  I  to  take  charge?"  asked  Marta. 


72  REVOLT 

"I  turn  this  floor  over  to  you  at  once.  Everything 
from  now  on  will  be  in  your  hands." 

He  paused  to  note  the  effect  of  his  words.  It  was 
the  first  real  test  of  the  organization  that  he  had 
touched  upon,  the  evening  before. 

With  scarcely  a  moment  for  consideration,  the 
young  woman  answered  him. 

"This  is  Wednesday.  I  don't  know  how  fast  your 
New  York  office-supply  firms  can  deliver  orders,  but 
I  think  it  is  safe  to  say  that  we  will  hold  a  reception 
and  flag  raising  ceremonies  a  week  from  today." 

"Fine,"  said  Roger.  "Holman  will  be  here  for  a 
speech.  You  will  make  a  speech  and  there  are  several 
women  whom  I  know  that  will  help  start  things  going. 
I'll  let  you  have  a  list,  later." 

He  looked  at  his  watch. 

"Would  you  like  to  see  the  general  National  Head 
quarters?"  he  asked. 

"What?"  asked  Marta,  in  surprise,  "are  they 
opened  already?" 

"Not  in  full  running  order  yet,"  smiled  Roger. 
"But  getting  under  way.  I've  put  the  best  office  man 
the  Universal  Trust  had  on  its  staff  in  charge  of  things. 
A  wizard.  We  will  have  the  smoothest  running  office 
in  New  York  inside  of  two  weeks." 

They  dropped  down  to  the  street  floor  and  turned 
the  corner  into  Forty-second  Street. 

"In  the  old  days  they  used  to  run  political  head 
quarters  from  hotels.  Then  they  began  to  use  a  few 


THE  REVOLT  BEGINS  TO  ORGANIZE  73 

offices  in  old  buildings.  Nowadays  a  National  head 
quarters  requires  an  entire  floor,"  said  Roger. 

They  entered  the  42nd  Street  building  and  Roger 
asked  for  the  thirteenth  floor.  He  saw  Marta  smile 
as  he  announced  it.  "Not  that  reason,"  he  said, 
shaking  his  head.  "It  happened  to  be  the  floor  where 
the  lessees  were  more  willing  to  move  in  exchange  for 
a  bonus." 

As  they  alighted  Marta  recognized,  at  once,  the 
orderliness  of  the  offices.  Bank  after  bank  of  desks, 
awaiting  operators,  automatic  carriers  for  mail  going 
by  every  desk,  the  entire  office  system  only  waiting 
human  occupancy  to  make  it  a  hive  of  activity. 

Roger  walked  up  and  down  the  offices,  pointing 
out  the  new  ideas  in  equipment.  In  the  office  man 
ager's  quarters  he  found  Sullivan,  from  the  Universal 
Trust  and  introduced  him  to  Marta. 

"How  about  the  personnel,  Mr.  Sullivan?"  he 
asked. 

"We  are  gaining,  slowly  but  surely.  The  require 
ments  are  quite  exacting  but  I  think  the  salary  will 
do  the  trick  for  us.  Sixteen  yesterday  and  already 
twelve  today." 

"Mr.  Sullivan  is  setting  a  high  standard  in  selecting 
his  force,"  explained  Roger.  "Every  operator  must 
not  only  be  one  hundred  per  cent  competent,  but  he 
must  be  a  regular  voter,  know  the  assemblyman  from 
the  district  and  furnish  the  names  of  twenty  registered 
voters  as  references.  We  are  offering  fifty  per  cent 


74  REVOLT 

bonus  in  salary  over  any  salary  they  have  ever  re 
ceived." 

"Do  they  all  know  that  it  is  a  political  head 
quarters?"  asked  Marta. 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  Roger.  "The  only  thing  with 
held  so  far  has  been  the  name  of  the  party.  They 
think  it  is  either  the  Democratic  or  Republican  party." 

"Won't  some  of  them  hesitate  about  being  identified 
with  the  Revolutionist  party?"  she  asked. 

"I  don't  imagine  so,"  answered  Roger.  "People 
don't  carry  their  prejudices  as  deeply  as  that.  Most 
employees  only  interest  themselves  in  their  salary. 
That  has  been  the  reason  why  they  were  so  easily 
exploited." 

"I'm  learning  something  every  minute,"  said  Marta. 
"Would  you  mind  if  I  adopted  an  entirely  different 
method  of  office  management  at  the  Women's  Branch?" 

"Certainly  not,"  answered  Roger,  emphatically. 
"In  fact,  I  expected  you  to  do  so.  Women  are  differ 
ent  —  the  appeal  to  them  is  different,  always  has  been 
and  always  will  be.  I  doubt  if  you  could  run  the 
Women's  Branch  on  the  same  lines  that  we  have  out 
lined  here  for  the  men." 

Marta  looked  up  at  Roger,  admiringly. 

"Tell  me,  Mr.  Morton,"  she  said,  "is  there  any 
phase  of  the  political  situation  that  you  have  not  yet 
analyzed?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  answered  Roger.  "There  are  countless 
phases  of  it  that  are  new  to  me.  In  handling  a  Na- 


THE  REVOLT  BEGINS  TO  ORGANIZE  75 

tional  Campaign  we  have  to  consider  local  conditions 
in  every  state.  Failure  to  do  that  in  California  cost 
Hughes  the  presidency  in  1916.  Then  there  are  labor 
conditions.  Then  there  are  the  platforms.  We  have 
yet  to  decide  upon  what  we  can  offer  the  people  better 
than  is  offered  by  the  two  old  parties.  I  understand 
a  few  psychological  fundamentals.  But  the  things 
that  win  or  lose  elections  —  they  are  so  numerous 
that  I  doubt  if  anybody  in  the  country  can  grasp  them. 
All  that  anyone  can  do  is  try  to  absorb  as  many  as 
possible  of  them  and  trust  to  luck  to  get  better  than 
an  even  break." 

He  turned  to  Sullivan,  as  if  for  confirmation.  That 
office  executive  shook  his  head. 

"Don't  count  on  me,"  said  Sullivan,  smiling  broadly. 
"All  that  I  will  guarantee  to  do  is  keep  in  touch  with 
every  city  and  town  in  the  country  by  wire  or  mail, 
keep  every  letter  answered,  see  that  all  appointments 
are  timed  properly,  look  after  the  placing  of  all  adver 
tising  and  the  distribution  of  all  literature  and  that 
the  schedules  of  all  speeches  are  rigidly  lived  up  to." 

"Aside  from  that,  Miss  Falmouth,"  said  Roger, 
"Mr.  Sullivan  assumes  no  responsibility  whatsoever. 
By  the  way,"  he  said,  turning  to  Sullivan,  "has 
Holman  wired?" 

"Be  here  at  noon  on  Friday,"  answered  Sullivan. 
"Stops  at  Waldorf." 

"A  Revolutionist  to  the  core,"  smiled  Roger.  "I 
shall  be  back  at  two  o'clock.  Miss  Falmouth  plans 


76  REVOLT 

to  have  a  reception  and  flag  flying  at  the  Women's 
Branch  a  week  from  today.  I  think  that  we  will 
defer  to  that  and  initiate  our  publicity  from  there. 
A  new  idea,  letting  the  women  assume  the  lead." 

They  bowed  to  Sullivan  and  Roger  led  the  way 
around  to  the  Biltmore  for  lunch. 

During  the  lunch  Marta  outlined  briefly  her  plans 
for  the  women  and  Morton  supplemented  her  out 
line  with  suggestions. 

As  he  escorted  her  over  to  her  office  building  after 
lunch  she  seemed  to  be  troubled.  As  he  said  "good 
bye"  at  the  street  floor,  she  put  her  hand  on  his  arm. 

"Mr.  Morton,"  she  said,  and  he  thought  he  de 
tected  a  little  tremor  in  her  voice,  "I  am  going 
through  to  the  finish  with  my  end  of  the  work.  I 
hope  it  doesn't  fail.  But  I  want  you  to  promise  me 
that  you  will  keep  in  constant  touch  with  me.  I 
shall  need  your  help  all  the  time." 

He  looked  into  her  eyes. 

"I  promise  you  that  I  will  never  be  away  from  you 
a  minute  more  than  I  can  help." 

She  watched  him  as  he  started  to  go  back  to  National 
Headquarters,  and  when  she  stepped  off  the  elevator 
at  the  sixth  floor  to  begin  her  work  of  putting  things 
into  running  order  there  wasn't  the  semblance  of 
trouble  in  her  eyes. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  MONEY  POWER  BECOMES  TURBULENT 

"I'll  see  him,  alone,"  said  the  President  of  the 
Universal  Trust  Company,  as  a  card  was  brought  in 
and  shown  him  by  his  office  secretary. 

This  meant  that  the  stenographer  was  to  return  to 
his  desk  and  that  when  the  visitor  came  into  the  office 
of  the  President  there  were  to  be  no  interruptions 
under  any  circumstances.  Even  the  phone  was  to 
be  silenced.  The  visitor  entered  and  took  a  seat  at 
the  desk  across  from  the  President. 

"Well?"  asked  the  President. 

"I  can't  make  head  or  tail  out  of  it,  so  far,  Mr. 
Morton,"  answered  the  other.  "But  I'll  report  as 
far  as  I've  got. 

'Roger  has  taken  up  permanent  quarters  at  the 
H'arvard  Club.  A  Miss  Marta  Falmouth  from  Cam 
bridge,  Mass.,  arrived  Tuesday  and  was  met  by  him 
at  the  Grand  Central.  They  went  to  the  Parkway, 
where  he  had  already  arranged  for  a  suite  of  apart 
ments  that  would  make  a  Metropolitan  opera  star 
jealous. 

"There  is  a  matron  in  charge  of  the  suite  and  a 
whole  flock  of  maids  and  special  help.  All  regular 
and  above  board,  you  understand." 

77 


78  REVOLT 

"No  needless  comment,  Lannigan,"  broke  in  the 
President.  "My  son  is  a  gentleman  even  if  he  is  a 
damn  fool.  Go  ahead!" 

Lannigan  flushed,  but  he  had  been  with  the  Uni 
versal  Trust  Co.  as  chief  of  its  Secret  Service  Bureau 
too  long  not  to  have  accustomed  himself  to  the  temper 
of  the  President.  He  continued: 

"Miss  Falmouth  is  a  stunning  looking  young  woman 
—  sort  of  a  type  you  might  see  in  a  picture  —  tall 
and  graceful  and  what  you  might  call  distinguished. 

"She  has  charge  of  the  offices  in  the  new  Avenue 
block,  the  entire  sixth  floor,  and  I  understand  they 
are  to  open  up  day  after  tomorrow  the  opening  gun 
of  the  Campaign. 

"The  National  Headquarters  are  around  in  the 
Forty-second  street  building  on  the  thirteenth  floor. 
He's  got  Sullivan  in  charge  there.  I've  got  a  room 
on  the  twelfth  floor  and  also  got  a  man  planted  in  a 
room  on  the  fifth  floor  of  the  Avenue  block.  They've 
just  got  their  phones  in  and  by  tomorrow  night  I  ought 
to  have  a  switch-board  cut  in  at  both  places  so  we  can 
get  all  the  messages." 

He  paused  to  see  how  the  President  was  taking  the 
story. 

"Good  work,  Lannigan,"  commented  the  banker. 
"We  must  know  everything  that  is  going  on  It  is 
very  important.  The  very  life  of  the  government 
is  at  stake  —  do  you  understand  what  that  means?" 

"I  do,"  replied  Lannigan,  "and  I'm  going  the  limit." 


THE  MONEY  POWER  BECOMES  TURBULENT       79 

"Anything  else  of  importance?"  asked  the  Pres 
ident. 

"Holman  showed  up  on  Friday.  He  doesn't  look 
like  an  anarchist.  Looks  more  like  the  old-style 
democrats  they  used  to  run  before  Wilson  came  in, 
away  back.  He  and  Roger  and  Miss  Falmouth  have 
been  in  conference  ever  since  he  got  here.  I'll  say 
this  for  the  three  of  them,  that  they  are  the  hardest 
workers  I've  ever  seen  —  no  let  up,  at  all." 

''Have  they  consulted  with  anybody  since  Holman 
got  here?"  asked  Morton.  "I  mean  any  political  lead 
ers  or  suspicious  characters?" 

Lannigan  shook  his  head. 

"Not  a  soul  except  office  men.  Not  even  a  news 
paper  reporter.  They  are  the  cagiest  three  politicians 
I  ever  saw  and  I've  seen  a  lot  of  them.  Why!  they 
haven't  even  painted  the  signs  on  the  office  doors  yet, 
and  nothing  on  the  windows  and  not  any  attempt  to 
get  into  the  papers." 

"What  do  you  make  out  of  that?'  asked  the  finan 
cier. 

"I  dope  it  this  way,"  replied  Lannigan.  "They 
evidently  intend  to  start  things  all  at  once,  the  Na 
tional  Headquarters  and  the  Women's  Branch,  full 
of  clerks  and  stenographers  and  literature  and  ad 
vertising  and  all  the  usual  stuff. 

"Roger  knows  that  the  political  game  is  half  bluff 
and  there  is  nothing  so  convincing  as  a  good  front. 
Everybody  thinks  that  a  big  office  means  a  big  lot  of 


80  REVOLT 

work  and  they  have  got  two  of  the  finest  fronts  I 
ever  viewed.'1 

"Have  you  seen  any  of  their  literature  yet?"  asked 
Morton. 

"Not  a  pamphlet,"  answered  the  detective.  "One 
of  my  boys  got  a  punch  in  the  eye  from  a  watchman 
at  the  printing  shop  they've  started.  That's  the 
nearest  we've  got,  yet." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  they've  got  a  printing  plant 
of  their  own?"  asked  Morton,  in  surprise. 

"Sure!  Forgot  to  mention  it.  They  bought  the 
entire  plant  of  a  big  printer  down  on  Seventh  Avenue. 
Already  they're  putting  in  a  new  color  press  and  mak 
ing  changes." 

"What  else  have  they  done  in  the  four  days  you've 
been  watching  them?"  asked  Morton,  sarcastically. 

"I  think  you've  got  the  main  facts,"  answered 
Lannigan.  "What  surprises  me  isn't  what  they've 
done  but  what  they  haven't  done." 

"Such  as  what?" 

"Such  as  passing  up  the  newspapers  and  a  lot  of 
these  pols  who  are  on  the  outs  with  everybody. 
Why!  with  your  son  at  the  head  of  the  show  and  his 
coin  to  back  it  they  could  fill  the  front  page  with 
publicity  and  attract  every  old  has-been  in  New  York." 

"Maybe  they  are  playing  for  a  big  surprise,  as  you 
figured,"  suggested  Morton,  "and  of  course,  the  name 
of  Morton  is  good  for  front  page  space,  especially  in 
this  particular  situation.  I  have  an  idea,  Lannigan, 


THE  MONEY  POWER  BECOMES  TURBULENT       81 

that  I  shall  make  an  effort  to  put  a  blanket  over  their 
publicity." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Lannigan. 

"See  that  every  newspaper  publisher  in  New  York, 
except  the  publisher  of  the  Independent,  is  at  this 
office  tomorrow  night  at  seven  o'clock." 

"How  about  any  unavoidable  absences?"  asked  the 
detective. 

"Then  have  a  representative.  We  mustn't  have 
any  slipups.  Who  is  your  man  on  the  Independent 
now?"  asked  Morton. 

"I'm  doing  everything  through  Sargent,  the  City 
Editor,"  said  Lannigan.  "He  is  a  wonder.  Often 
lets  a  big  thing  go  by  that  hasn't  any  special  signifi 
cance  when  analyzed  and  boasts  about  it  to  Gilmore, 
while  he's  covering  up  on  some  really  important  stuff." 

"Can  he  stop  anything  as  big  as  this?"  asked 
Morton,  anxiously. 

"Nothing  is  big,  Mr.  Morton,  until  the  newspapers 
have  made  it  so,"  replied  Lannigan.  "The  Revolu 
tionist  party  could  open  a  hundred  headquarters  and 
nobody  would  pay  any  attention  to  it  until  the  news 
papers  began  to  talk  about  it." 

"The  power  of  the  press  is  a  wonderful  thing," 
said  Morton,  "especially  the  power  it  has  if  it  is  not 
used." 

"I  have  often  figured  that  the  newspapers  were 
more  powerful  when  they  were  kept  quiet  than  when 
they  were  working  for  something,"  said  Lannigan. 


82  REVOLT 

"All  depends,"  replied  Morton.  "In  this  particu 
lar  case  the  newspapers  are  the  only  hope  of  the  new 
party.  Without  them  they  will  be  up  against  a  dead 
wall.  If  they  get  full  publicity  they  will  be  an  awful 
menace.  We  must  choke  off  the  newspapers." 

"You  will  apply  the  same  leverage  as  formerly?" 
inquired  Lannigan. 

"My  appeal  to  the  press  will  be  a  matter  for  me  to 
discuss  with  the  publishers,  alone,"  snapped  the 
financier. 

"No  offense,  Mr.  Morton,"  said  Lannigan.  "I 
was  merely  getting  my  plans  into  shape.  I  shall 
handle  Sargent  of  the  Independent  with  the  coin. 
He  is  a  hound  for  real  money." 

"Expense  account  unlimited,"  said  Morton.  "Get 
me  on  private  phone  only  if  something  very  important 
shows  up.  Tomorrow  night,  here,  at  seven  o'clock 
every  paper  in  New  York  except  the  Independent. 
Fix  that,  yourself.  Don't  let  anything  get  away  from 
you." 

"Good  day,  sir,"  was  all  that  Lannigan  had  to 
say. 

The  President  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company 
lit  a  fresh  cigar,  stared  up  at  a  globe  of  the  chandelier 
in  the  middle  of  his  office,  moved  his  head  from  side 
to  side  as  if  to  gauge  a  beam  of  sunlight  that  was  re 
flected  on  the  globe  and  then  nervously  rang  a  bell. 
A  boy  answered. 

"Edgar,  I  want  you  to  tell  the  janitor  to  have  that 


"Expense  account  unlimited,  "  said  Morton 


THE  MONEY  POWER  BECOMES  TURBULENT      83 

chandelier  thrown  out  and  scrapped.  Tell  him  it 
makes  me  nervous." 

"Yes,   sir,   anything   else,   sir?"   asked    the    boy. 

"Anything  else,  what?"  asked  Morton. 

"Anything  else  make  you  nervous?"  asked  the  boy. 

"No !  just  the  chandelier.     Send  in  Mr.  Holworthy." 

"He  left,  an  hour  ago.  Said  he  was  going  to  work 
up  in  Forty-second  Street,"  said  the  boy. 

"Is  that  Miss  Harkins  out  there?"  asked  Morton, 
irritably. 

"No,  sir,  she  left  yesterday.  Gone  to  work  in  the 
Avenue  building." 

"Is  there  a  stenographer  left  in  the  entire  office?" 
shouted  Morton. 

"Only  a  new  guy  who  came  this  noon,"  said  the  boy. 

"Send  him  in,"  shrieked  the  President  of  the  Uni 
versal  Trust  Company. 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  boy,  jumping  for  the  door. 

Before  closing  the  door,  he  turned  toward  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Universal  and  spoke. 

"Can  I  say  something,  Mr.  Morton?"  he  asked. 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  said  the  President. 

"I'm  leaving  the  Universal,  myself,  this  afternoon," 
said  the  boy. 

What  the  President  had  to  say  was  lost,  as  the  door 
closed  before  he  had  framed  his  remarks. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  WOMEN'S  BRANCH  FORMALLY  OPENS 

On  Wednesday,  the  day  set  for  the  formal  opening 
of  the  Women's  Branch  of  the  Revolutionist  Party, 
Marta  Falmouth,  Roger  Morton  and  Dan  Holman 
held  an  executive  session  in  the  former's  private  office. 
Not  even  the  publicity  woman  was  present. 

"Briefly,  what  are  the  arrangements?"  asked  Mor 
ton,  addressing  Marta. 

"Following  your  suggestions,  I  have  invited  every 
woman  of  consequence  in  New  York  City  and  vicin 
ity  —  either  socially,  politically  or  in  a  business  way 
every  one  of  our  guests  will  stand  for  something," 
said  Marta. 

"The  formal  opening  will  be  at  two  o'clock. 
I  shall  call  the  guests  together  and  make  a  brief 
speech,  outlining  the  women's  opportunity  and 
stating  that  we  want  active  co-operation  on  every 
side. 

"Then  I  shall  introduce  Mr.  Holman  as  one  of  our 
leaders,  not  mentioning  him  as  our  presidential  can 
didate.  He  will  make  a  speech  and  the  flag  will  be 
flown  from  the  window,  next  to  the  U.  S.  flag  that  is 
now  on  the  staff." 

Marta  then  took  from  a  box  the  new  flag  that  Roger 

84 


TEE  WOMEN'S  BRANCH  FORMALLY  OPENS       85 

had  designed.  Holman  held  it  in  his  hands  and 
turned  toward  the  others. 

"The  only  thing  that  worries  me  is  whether  I  shall 
be  able  to  come  up  to  your  expectations.  The  nearer 
we  get  to  doing  something,  the  more  stupendous  the 
task  before  us  seems  to  grow." 

He  held  the  flag  off  at  arm's  length,  and  noted  the 
design.  The  simplicity  of  it  and  the  thirteen  stars, 
each  with  a  letter  of  the  word  Revolutionist  in  it, 
seemed  to  impress  him. 

"At  least  we  have  improved  on  a  party  emblem. 
A  dull-witted  elephant  or  a  stupid  donkey  are  not 
the  most  inspiring  ornaments  for  flag  purposes.  And 
the  Bull-moose  that  lived  for  a  few  short  years  was 
not  much  of  an  improvement.  I  like  our  new  flag. 
It  means  something." 

"I  wouldn't  touch  on  our  platform  in  your  talk," 
said  Roger. 

"I  will  keep  clear  of  planks,"  replied  Holman. 
"My  talk  will  be  on  the  general  situation  and  the  need 
for  a  new  party  to  handle  it.  I  shall  point  out  the 
supine  nature  of  the  so-called  leaders  in  both  parties 

and   sound  the   call  for  Revolutionists   to  join  our 

» 
party. 

The  conference  ended  with  a  business  discussion. 

At  two  o'clock  the  rooms  of  the  Women's  Branch 
were  jammed  to  suffocation  —  the  crush  composed 
mostly  of  women.  The  elevator  force  had  refused 
to  allow  any  more  people  to  alight  at  the  sixth  floor 


86  REVOLT 

at  least  a  half  hour  previously.  Police  were  stationed 
at  the  entrance  of  the  building  handling  the  crowd  of 
ticket  holders  as  best  they  could. 

Marta  had  arranged  with  a  stentorian  voiced  crier 
with  a  megaphone,  to  announce  that  all  ticket  holders 
would  be  accommodated  in  an  overflow  meeting  in 
the  main  Ball-room  of  the  Parkway.  In  spite  of  this 
assurance  the  crowd  kept  getting  larger  up  to  two 
o'clock.  Morton  and  Holman  were  in  the  private 
office,  which  was  kept  clear  only  by  the  physical  efforts 
of  two  of  New  York's  heavyweight  police.  The  two 
Revolutionists  had  been  looking  out  of  the  window 
and  watching  the  crowd  below. 

For  the  hundredth  time  Holman  made  the  same 
observation. 

"There's  another  bevy  of  automobiles,  Roger. 
I  don't  see  how  she  caught  this  crowd  without  a  word 
in  the  newspaper."  The  "she"  referred  to  Marta. 

Having  neglected  to  offer  any  explanation  up  to 
this  time  and  feeling  that  he  might  just  as  well  let  the 
candidate  for  President  into  the  secret,  Roger  handed 
him  one  of  the  engraved  invitations  that  Marta  had 
issued  and  sent  broadcast  all  over  New  York  and  its 
suburbs.  Holman  read  it,  a  smile  creeping  over  his 
face. 

Your  presence  is  requested  at  the  opening 
of  the  Women's  Branch  of  the  Revolutionist 
Party,  sixth  floor  of  the  Avenue  Building, 


THE  WOMEN'S]  BRANCH  FORMALLY  OPENS       87 

Wednesday,  April  22,   1940,  at  two  o'clock. 
A  reception  and  musicale  will  be  held  at  four 

o'clock  in  the  East  Ball-room  of  the  Parkway 
Hotel. 

ARTISTS 

Cardova  Tenor 

Altman  Violin 

Mme.  Feldman  Soprano 

Mme.  Maltby  Contralto 

He  handed  the  invitation  back  to  Roger. 

''You  see,  Dan,"  commented  Roger,  "Miss  Fal- 
mouth  took  no  chances.  Why,  with  that  array  of 
talent  she  could  fill  Central  Park.  Her  own  sugges 
tion,  too." 

He  was  interrupted  by  Marta,  who  came  into  the 
room  with  her  face  flushed  from  the  exertion  of  ming 
ling  with  the  crowd.  She  gave  the  signal  for  opening 
the  sliding  doors  and  then  stood  on  an  improvised 
platform  at  the  end  of  the  room.  The  flag  was  on 
the  staff,  awaiting  only  the  pulling  of  the  cord  before 
the  people  on  Fifth  Avenue  would  see  it. 

"Fellow  Americans!" 

Her  full,  musical  voice  sounded  through  the  rooms. 
The  din  stopped.  All  eyes  turned  toward  the  private 
office.  Those  who  couldn't  see  the  speaker  went 
through  the  contortion  known  as  straining  their  ears 
to  get  the  words  that  were  to  follow.  Marta  waited 
a  moment  and  then  continued  her  speech. 


88  REVOLT 

"Today  is  a  momentous  day  in  the  political  history 
of  our  country. 

"After  weeks  of  preparation  on  the  part  of  its 
sponsors,  the  Revolutionist  party  makes  its  initial 
bow  to  the  world.  It  makes  that  bow  in  the  Women's 
Branch.  It  thus  pays  a  compliment  to  woman  such 
as  no  other  party  has  ever  paid  before. 

"Both  the  Democratic  party  and  the  Republican 
party  ignored  the  woman  suffrage  movement  during 
its  infancy.  As  it  grew  they  both  tolerated  it.  When 
it  became  inevitable  they  both  tried  to  claim  the 
credit  for  the  movement. 

"When  the  opportunity  came,  back  in  1919,  to 
give  the  Anthony  Amendment  to  the  states  for  rati 
fication,  it  was  a  group  of  re-actionary  Republican 
and  Democratic  Senators  who  killed  submission  in 
the  declining  years  of  the  session  —  even  while  the 
people  were  welcoming  home  the  troops  who  had  won 
the  war  for  world  democracy.  No  party  can  claim 
credit  for  the  suffrage  movement. 

"The  right  of  women  in  America  to  exercise  the 
franchise  of  the  ballot  was  won  by  the  women  them 
selves  —  by  the  Susan  B.  Anthonys,  the  Lucy  Stones, 
the  Lucretia  Motts,  the  Julia  Ward  Howes,  the  Alice 
Stone  Blackwells,  the  Charlotte  Gilmans,  the  Carrie 
Chapman  Catts  and  that  giantess  of  oratory  and 
argument,  Anna  Howard  Shaw.  I  speak  of  her  in  the 
singular  because  the  suffrage  movement  never  pro 
duced  her  duplicate. 


THE  WOMEN'S  BRANCH  FORMALLY  OPENS       89 

"No  party  can  claim  for  itself  the  women  of  America. 
They  are  free.  But  the  Revolutionist  party  can  and 
does,  today,  offer  them  the  most  wonderful  opportun 
ity  ever  offered  to  a  group  of  thinking  voters,  it  offers 
them  the  great  opportunity  of  reclaiming  America  — 
of  restoring  the  rights  of  the  Constitution  to  the  people. 

"The  votes  of  the  women  of  America  are  to  be  the 
leading  factor  in  the  election  of  the  President  this 
year.  That  is  why  this  Women's  Branch  has  been 
organized. 

"I  have  said  that  no  party  can  claim  for  itself  the 
exclusive  credit  for  advancing  the  suffrage  movement. 
Each  had  its  share,  forced  upon  it  by  the  women 
themselves,  aided  by  far  thinking  and  courageous 
leaders  among  the  men. 

"Among  those  leaders  was  one  whom  I  will  now 
introduce  —  a  man  who  has  never  deserted  the  cause, 
a  man  who  was  more  responsible  during  the  trying 
years  from  1928  to  1934  for  winning  over  the  last  two 
needed  states  to  accepting  the  Federal  Amendment 
than  any  man  in  America,  courageous  Dan  Holman 
of  Kansas." 

Starting  with  a  slight  tremor  in  her  voice,  due  to 
nervousness,  Marta  had  finished  her  speech  with  a 
vibrance  and  vigor  that  carried  every  tone  to  the 
farthest  corners  of  the  offices  that  made  up  the  big 
suite. 

There  had  not  been  an  interruption.  Standing 
near  her,  at  one  side,  Roger  Morton  had  listened  with 


90  REFOLT 

almost  a  painful  intensity.  He  realized  that  it  was 
the  first  plunge  for  the  new  movement.  Not  once 
did  his  eyes  leave  her  face.  As  she  finished,  Roger 
shifted  his  glance  quickly  toward  the  congested 
audience  to  catch  the  effect  of  her  words.  Hardly 
had  the  last  tone  of  her  voice  stopped  before  a  ripple 
of  applause  started.  It  gained  in  power  at  once. 
In  ten  seconds  the  entire  sixth  floor  was  in  an  uproar. 

"Oh!  if  I  could  only  tell  her  how  well  she  put  it 
across,"  he  thought,  but  there  was  no  time  for  con 
gratulations.  Holman  was  already  talking.  Trained 
in  public  speaking  —  a  voice  mellow  and  rich  —  an 
audience  that  was  evidently  inclined  to  be  friendly 
—  there  was  only  pleasure  in  it  for  Holman  to  address 
a  small,  informal  gathering  like  this. 

Master  of  the  art  of  first  gaining  the  confidence 
of  his  hearers  and  then  weaving  the  spell  of  his  magic, 
it  required  no  effort  to  carry  them  along.  In  Hoi- 
man's  case  there  had  always  to  be  added  to  his  ca 
pacity  as  an  orator  the  unquestionable  sincerity  of 
the  man  himself.  Always  in  the  front  of  the  political 
battle  line,  he  had  attained  a  reputation  for  radicalism 
years  back  that  had  later  shown  itself  to  be  the  very 
ground-work  of  conservatism  as  the  country  had  de 
veloped  and  come  to  grasp  his  view-points. 

"I  trust  I  may  be  pardoned  if  I  offer  a  strictly 
personal  opinion  at  this  time,"  said  Holman  after 
outlining  the  general  needs  for  a  new  party,  ''when 
I  state  that  I  have  lost  all  hope  of  reform  in  either 


THE   WOMEN'S  BRANCH  FORMALLY  OPENS       91 

the  Democratic  party,  with  which  I  have  always  been 
associated,  or  the  Republican  party,  with  which  I 
have  never  been  able  to  agree  until  years  after  they 
had  reluctantly  adopted  proven  Democratic  doctrines. 

"Today,  both  of  those  once  great  parties  are  in  the 
grip  of  the  money  power.  Organized  capital  controls 
them  both.  Outwardly  they  appear  to  disagree,  but 
it  is  all  a  sham.  Whether  a  Democratic  or  Republican 
president  is  chosen  at  this  year's  election  will  make 
no  difference  to  the  money-kings.  They  will  run 
both  conventions  —  select  both  candidates  and  then 
let  the  people  pick  the  one  who  makes  the  better 
appearance  or  has  the  better  organization  behind  him. 

"Why,  if  the  money-powers  thought  there  was  the 
slightest  chance  of  the  Revolutionist  candidate  being 
elected  they  would  try  to  control  our  Convention  so 
that  a  man  agreeable  to  them  would  be  put  in  nomi 
nation. 

"Therein  lies  the  hope  for  reform.  There  will  be 
three  candidates  for  President,  I  mean  three  active 
candidates.  The  Socialist  party  candidate  will  not 
poll  more  than  the  usual  proportion.  We  will  not 
affect  the  Socialist  vote  one  way  or  the  other.  With 
two  leading  candidates  controlled  by  one  selfish  in 
terest  and  the  other  candidate  controlled  by  no  selfish 
interest  but  running  free  and  untrammeled,  I  can  see 
one  and  only  one  result  —  success  to  our  cause. 

"This  much  is  absolutely  certain  —  that  the  women 
of  America  will  decide  the  coming  election.  If  they 


92  REVOLT 

vote  stronger  for  the  Democrat,  he  will  win,  for  the 
Republican,  he  will  win,  but  if  they  organize  in  their 
might  and  decide  to  vote  their  great  strength  for  the 
Revolutionist  candidate  then  all  the  money  on  earth 
cannot  stop  the  head  of  the  Revolutionist  ticket  from 
being  the  next  President  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 

"To  emphasize  the  movement  as  one  dedicated  to 
liberty  we  have  designed  a  flag  of  thirteen  stars  — 
emblematic  of  the  thirteen  original  states  of  this  great 
republic  and  we  now  throw  that  flag  to  the  breeze  for 
the  first  time." 

The  rope  was  pulled  and  the  Revolutionist  flag, 
in  red,  white  and  blue,  floated  over  Fifth  Avenue. 

It  is  utterly  impossible  to  describe  on  a  printed  page 
the  effect  of  plain  statements  made  by  Dan  Holman. 
Only  tho^e  who  have  heard  him  speak  can  understand 
why  applause  and  wild  enthusiasm  always  punctuated 
and  followed  his  every  speech. 

On  this  afternoon  at  the  Women's  Branch  the  usual 
scenes  were  enacted.  The  women  standing  in  the 
first  rows  crowded  to  the  little  platform  to  shake  his 
hand,  while  others  equally  enthusiastic  pushed  their 
way  through  from  the  rear. 

One  excited  woman,  holding  a  check  up  in  the  air  in 
sight  of  everybody,  elbowed  her  way  toward  Holman. 
As  she  came  within  speaking  distance  she  shrieked: 

"Here  is  a  check  for  ten  thousand,  Mr.  Holman, 
and  there  is  more  where  that  came  from." 


THE  WOMEN'S  BRANCH  FORMALLY  OPENS        93 

This  was  the  signal.  Had  there  been  the  least 
doubt  about  outside  financial  assistance  to  the  needs 
of  the  party,  it  was  swept  away  right  there. 

During  the  hour  that  followed,  checks  and  pledges 
for  half  a  million  had  been  tabulated  and  they  were 
still  coming  in  even  while  most  of  the  guests  had  gone 
to  the  musicale  at  the  Parkway. 

While  the  meeting  at  the  offices  had  been  an  over 
whelming  success  from  an  organization  standpoint, 
the  musicale  in  the  Parkway  Ball-room  was  an  even 
greater  success  artistically  and  socially  because  the 
space  permitted  it.  The  affair  closed  at  five-thirty 
and  Marta  had  as  her  guests  at  dinner,  in  addition 
to  Holman  and  Morton  about  twenty  prominent 
New  York  women  that  Morton  had  selected  with 
special  regard  for  influence. 

"Not  a  refusal,"  he  said  to  Marta,  as  he  managed 
to  get  that  busy  young  woman's  attention,  near  the 
close  of  the  program.  "In  fact,  I  think  most  of  them 
broke  engagements  in  order  to  be  with  us.  I  am 
having  the  dinner  served  in  the  dining-room  of  your 
apartments." 

"I  am  under  orders,  "she  said,  giving  him  a  wondrous 
smile  as  he  left  to  make  further  arrangements,  while 
Marta  gave  her  attention  to  the  finish  of  the  program 
and  the  departure  of  the  afternoon's  guests. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

LANNIGAN   REPORTS   TO  HIS   CHIEF 

While  Marta  and  Holman  and  young  Morton  were 
receiving  congratulations  at  the  dinner  in  Marta's 
apartments  at  the  Parkway,  an  entirely  different  kind 
of  meeting  was  taking  place  at  the  home  of  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company. 

Lannigan,  the  chief  of  staff  of  the  Universal  Secret 
Service,  was  making  a  complete  report  on  the  after 
noon's  proceedings. 

"So  you  think  both  Holman  and  the  girl  made  a 
hit?"  asked  Mr.  Morton. 

"From  what  my  operator  ells  me,  they  were  knock 
outs.  I  never  trust  myself  on  these  things.  I  leave 
it  to  someone  not  so  keenly  interested,"  replied  Lan 
nigan. 

"Here  is  a  full  report  of  what  they  both  said. 
Better  glance  through  it.'r  He  handed  three  typed 
pages  to  the  financier. 

Morton  read  them,  carefully,  sometimes  re-reading 
to  make  sure  of  the  exact  context.  Then  he  returned 
to  the  conversation. 

"Nothing  in  this  but  old  stuff,"  he  com 
mented. 

"Same  old  bunk,"  said  Lannigan,  "but  my  operator 

04 


LANNIGAN  REPORTS  TO  HIS  CHIEF  95 

said  it  went  over  with  a  bang.  It's  the  way  this  stuff 
is  handled  that  makes  it  good  or  bad. 

"I  don't  know  how  much  money  they  raised  but  it 
ran  away  up  into  the  thousands,"  continued  Lannigan, 
"and  from  the  names  of  the  contributors  there  is  an 
endless  supply  of  money." 

"Might  as  well  know  now  that  Roger  has  pledged 
a  hundred  millions  for  the  fight,"  interrupted  Morton. 
"So  you  can  see  money  can't  interfere  with  their  plans. 
We  must  fight  them  with  influences  that  money  can't 
buy." 

"Puts  a  handicap  on  our  work,"  suggested  Lannigan 
drily. 

"No  sarcasm,  Lannigan,"  said  Morton,  tersely. 
"I'm  quite  serious  about  the  money  end  of  it.  With 
Roger's  resources  working  for  them  there  isn't  a  pur 
chasable  thing  that  they  can't  control  just  as  well  as 
the  Republicans  or  the  Democrats.  You  see  that 
much,  don't  you?" 

Lannigan  nodded  his  head. 

"Well,  then,  there  is  only  one  course  to  be  adopted 
and  that  is  to  sew  up  tight  every  influence  that  isn't 
purchasable.  Isn't  that  logical?" 

It  was  so  unusual  for  Morton  to  defer  even  in  a 
small  way  to  anybody's  opinion  that  Lannigan  hesi 
tated  before  entering  into  the  discussion  as  though 
he  were  on  an  equal  footing.  He  merely  said,  "Yes, 
sir." 

"Then  get  this!"    Morton  leaned  across  the  heavy 


96  REVOLT 

library  table  and  looked  into  Lannigan's  eyes,  "We've 
got  to  control  the  columns  of  every  big  newspaper 
in  the  country,  every  weekly  that  amounts  to  any 
thing,  every  telegraph  wire,  news-service  and  every 
hall  of  any  consequence." 

Lannigan  shook  his  head. 

"We  can't  control  Lincoln  Park  in  Chicago  and  we 
can't  shut  up  Boston  Common,"  he  said  sarcastically. 

"Certainly  not,"  came  back  Morton,  "but  what 
good  will  it  do  them  even  to  hold  out-door  meetings 
if  they  don't  get  into  the  newspapers  with  their  stories. 
Meetings  don't  amount  to  a  darn.  I've  seen  big 
meetings  that  were  not  well  covered  fizzle  out  as  news 
stories  and  I've  seen  poorly  attended  affairs  that  were 
played  up  by  the  press  until  they  took  on  international 
significance.  It's  all  in  the  publicity  —  the  way 
things  are  handled." 

"Correct,"  said  Lannigan. 

"Now,  this  meeting  of  this  afternoon  would  be  a 
wonderful  affair  if  it  was  played  up  in  the  morning 
papers,"  went  on  Morton,  "but  if  it  isn't  even  men 
tioned  in  a  single  paper  in  New  York  it  will  not  amount 
to  anything. 

"In  fact,"  and  a  derisive  smile  came  into  his  face, 
"if  there  isn't  a  word  in  the  papers  tomorrow  morning, 
Lannigan,  all  of  the  women  who  made  contributions 
will  be  as  mad  as  Hell  and  Holman  and  the  Falmouth 
girl  will  be  so  disappointed  that  they  won't  want  to 
speak  to  each  other. 


LANN1GAN  REPORTS  TO  HIS  CHIEF  97 

"Further  than  that,  my  enthusiastic  young  son  will 
realize  that  he  is  up  against  somebody  who  can  play 
this  game  from  every  angle  and  then  some.  They 
can't  buy  the  newspapers  —  either  the  news-columns 
or  advertising  columns.  We  control  them,  absolutely, 
in  the  interest  of  conservatism  and  the  public  good. 
So  there's  one  place  where  their  money  won't  get  them 
any  farther  ahead  than  if  they  didn't  have  it." 

"Sounds  reasonable  to  me,"  said  Lannigan. 

"Logical  all  the  way  through,"  asserted  Morton. 
"Politics  must  have  publicity  to  feed  on.  No  cause 
can  grow  without  the  help  of  the  press.  Shut  off  the 
newspapers  and  there  isn't  any  more  interest  than 
there  is  in  Babylonian  history." 

He  leaned  back  in  his  chair  as  though  he  had  settled 
the  problems  of  the  world. 

"That  end  of  it  is  all  fixed,  as  I  understand  it," 
suggested  Lannigan. 

"Absolutely  settled  at  last  night's  conference," 
said  Morton.  "There  won't  be  a  line  in  any  New  York 
morning  newspaper,  assuming  that  you  take  care  of 
the  Independent." 

"Independent  will  go  through,  clean,"  said  Lanni 
gan,  "but  how  about  the  Socialist  paper?" 

"That,  Lannigan,  is  the  least  of  our  troubles,"  and 
the  head  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company  laughed 
at  his  own  witticism. 

"Nothing  more  for  me,  then?"  asked  the  detective. 

"Only  to  make  absolutely  sure  of  the  Independent. 


98  REVOLT 

We've  got  to  break  their  hearts  at  the  very  outset. 
Why,  if  they  got  all  the  publicity  that  their  meeting 
today  deserved,  they  would  carry  the  lead  on  the 
front  page  of  every  daily  in  America  tomorrow. 
Never  would  do,  Lannigan.  This  country  is  too  con 
servative  to  stand  for  a  crowd  of  revolutionists,  even 
if  my  own  son  is  financing  them." 

Lannigan  thought  he  detected  a  tone  of  regret 
rather  than  of  vindictiveness  in  the  voice  of  the  finan 
cier,  but  he  was  given  no  time  for  analysis. 

"Keep  tabs  on  everything.  Don't  let  a  move  be 
made  without  letting  me  know,"  commanded  Morton. 

"Covering  everything,  Mr.  Morton,"  said  Lanni 
gan,  rising  to  go.  "One  of  the  guests  at  the  Falmouth 
girl's  apartments  is  one  of  my  operators.  Both  phones 
at  both  headquarters  are  now  cut  in  on  our  private 
switch-board;  three  shifts  of  men  covering  Holman 
at  his  hotel  and  Roger  at  his  club.  I've  got  six  girls 
in  the  Women's  Branch  offices  and  four  good  men 
planted  in  the  National  Headquarters." 

"Lannigan,  you're  a  wonder,"  said  the  world's 
money  king. 

"Got  to  be  to  get  anywhere  in  my  business,"  an 
swered  Lannigan,  walking  to  the  door,  satisfied  with 
himself  and  all  the  world.  Morton,  the  most  power 
ful  figure  in  finance  had  begun,  at  last,  to  recognize 
his  great  talents  as  an  organizer  of  secret  service. 


CHAPTER  IX 

DISAPPOINTMENT  PLUS 

The  morning  after  the  formal  opening  of  the 
Women's  Branch,  Marta  Falmouth  was  up  at  six 
o'clock,  or  rather  she  was  awake  at  that  time. 

She  rang  for  her  maid  and  instructed  her  to  go  down 
to  the  office  floor  and  get  copies  of  every  morning 
paper  just  as  soon  as  the  news  stand  opened. 

While  waiting  for  the  maid  to  return  with  the 
papers,  she  dressed  herself,  not  having  reached  that 
point  when  she  needed  any  assistance  in  her  toilette. 
Had  Roger  Motion  been  given  access  to  the  boudoir 
he  would  have  been  surprised  to  see,  in  an  old  fash 
ioned  frame,  in  the  place  of  honor,  the  picture  of  a 
young  collegian  in  a  mortar  board  hat,  with  a  rakish 
slant  to  it. 

Marta  Falmouth,  in  her  first  contact  with  the  pub 
lic,  had  acquitted  herself  with  dignity  and  even  dis 
tinction.  Although  modest  to  a  degree  she  knew 
that  the  entire  affair,  from  her  own  opening  remarks 
up  to  the  moment  when  she  had  said  "Good  bye" 
to  her  last  guest,  was  a  most  brilliant  success. 

And  yet,  with  all  her  assurance,  there  was  that 
nervous  tension  that  always  comes  to  people  engaged 
in  public  work  as  they  await  the  arrival  of  the 

00 


100  REFOLT 

papers  to  find  out  how  the  press  has  handled  the 
matter. 

Marta  picked  up  the  picture  of  young  Morton  and 
looked  it  squarely  in  the  eyes. 

"I  do  hope  they  have  given  you  credit  for  the  work 
you  have  done,  dear,"  she  said,  toherpicture.  "With 
out  you  there  wouldn't  be  any  new  party  at  all." 
Then  she  kissed  the  picture,  impulsively. 

It  was  nearly  seven  o'clock  before  the  maid  re 
turned  with  the  bundle  of  morning  papers.  With  a 
heart  beating  at  a  dangerous  speed,  Marta  took  them 
and  began  to  look  them  over. 

Looking,  naturally,  on  the  first  page  of  the  Inde 
pendent  for  the  best  story,  she  was  almost  dum- 
founded  when  she  saw  no  reference  whatever  to  the 
meeting.  She  quickly  glanced  through  the  rest  of 
the  paper  and  finally  laid  it  aside,  with  a  quizzical 
smile  on  her  face. 

In  dread  she  picked  up  one  of  New  York's  most 
conservative  old  dailies  and  went  through  it  from 
start  to  finish,  with  the  same  result.  A  tear  crept 
into  her  eye.  It  seemed  as  if  her  heart  had  almost 
ceased  to  beat. 

But  Marta  Falmouth  wasn't  afraid  to  face  the 
situation  when  it  had  to  be  faced.  In  spite  of  the 
tears  that  couldn't  be  restrained  she  went  carefully 
through  every  one  of  the  eight  papers  that  were  sup 
posed  to  furnish  all  the  news  of  important  happenings 
in  the  world  to  their  readers,  without  fear  or  favor. 


DISAPPOINTMENT  PLUS  101 

Not  a  single  line  concerning  the  Women's  Branch 
opening,  not  a  word  about  the  Revolutionist  party, 
not  a  syllable  regarding  the  magnificent  reception 
in  the  Parkway  Ball-room,  not  a  word  regarding  the 
world's  most  famous  artists,  not  a  punctuation  mark 
to  indicate  that  there  was  a  new  silk  flag  over  Fifth 
Avenue.  To  Marta  it  seemed  that  all  her  efforts  had 
been  wasted,  all  the  careful  preparations  of  the  week 
gone  for  nothing. 

The  maid  discreetly  absented  herself.  Marta  re 
turned  to  her  boudoir  and  picked  up  the  picture  of 
Roger  Morton.  As  she  held  it  close  where  she  could 
look  into  the  eyes  she  said;  "They're  going  to  try  to 
break  your  heart,  but  you  mustn't  let  them.  We'll 
fight  now  as  we  have  never  fought  before."  The 
flood-gates  were  opened  and  the  dignified  young 
woman  of  the  afternoon  before  fell  full  length  on  the 
bed  and  sobbed  out  her  awful  disappointment. 

At  the  same  time,  Roger  Morton  was  drinking  deep 
of  the  cup  of  disillusion.  In  the  library  of  his  club 
he  was  sitting,  entirely  surrounded  by  newspapers 
in  disarray,  and  a  sickly  smile  played  across  his 
mouth. 

"The  governor  surely  put  one  over  on  us,  this  morn 
ing,"  he  muttered.  "But  he  has  shown  his  hand  too 
early." 

"I  wonder  if  Marta  knows  yet?"  he  thought.  At 
least  six  times  he  started  for  the  phone  to  call  her  up 
and  then  came  back  to  his  seat,  finally  going  into  the 


102  REVOLT 

breakfast  room,  admitting  to  himself  that  it  was 
only  bravado  as  he  had  no  more  appetite  than  if  he 
had  just  finished  a  hearty  meal. 

He  nibbled  away  at  his  cereal  and  stirred  his  coffee 
nervously,  while  his  mind  jumped  from  one  phase 
of  the  situation  to  another.  One  thought  kept  re 
curring  so  often  that  finally  it  dominated  all  of  his 
thoughts.  "Marta  mustn't  know  how  badly  they 
were  beaten."  Over  and  over  again  it  repeated  it 
self  until  there  was  only  that  one  thought  in  his  mind. 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  boy  paging  him.  "Wanted 
on  the  phone."  He  answered  the  phone,  expecting 
to  hear  Marta's  voice  at  the  other  end  and  with  his 
story  all  framed.  But  it  was  Holman's  voice  that 
greeted  him,  in  answer  to  his  "Hello!" 

"Good  morning,  Roger,"  said  Holman.  "I  see 
that  the  New  York  papers  have  given  us  quite  a  send- 
off." 

"The  Governor  put  one  over  on  us,  Dan,"  answered 
Roger,  "But  I'd  much  rather  have  it  come  now  than 
later.  The  only  thing  that  worries  me  is  the  way 
that  Marta  will  take  it." 

"And  the  only  thing  that  she's  worrying  about  is 
how  you'll  take  it,"  replied  Holman. 

"How  do  you  know  that?"  asked  Roger,  eagerly, 
"Have  you  phoned  her?" 

"At  this  hour  of  the  morning?"  replied  Holman. 
"Certainly  not.  Haven't  you?" 

"No,  Dan,"  answered  Roger.  "But  it  wasn't  the 


DISAPPOINTMENT  PLUS  103 

early  hour  that  restrained  me.  I'll  tell  you  the 
truth.  I  was  afraid  to.  We  mustn't  let  her  know 
what  an  awful  smash  it  was.  It  would  break  her 
heart." 

"Wrong  again,"  answered  Holman.  "It's  the  best 
thing  that  could  happen  to  us.  We  will  know  how 
to  guard  against  such  accidents  in  the  future,  and 
believe  me,  such  a  thing  as  a  disappointment  can't 
show  up  again.  What  time  do  I  see  you?" 

"Nine-thirty  at  the  Big  Headquarters.  I'll  have 
Marta  there  and  we  will  decide  on  our  next  move." 

"I  shall  be  there,"  answered  Holman,  while  Roger 
went  back  to  his  breakfast  with  a  prospect  that  it  was 
going  to  be  eaten  and  not  merely  nibbled.  He  or 
dered  a  pot  of  fresh  coffee  as  if  he  meant  it. 

"Funny  what  a  little  talk  with  a  real  friend  will  do 
for  a  jaded  appetite,"  he  thought  as  he  picked  up  a 
newspaper  to  see  what  there  was  of  interest  going  on 
in  the  world  outside  of  politics. 

At  nine  o'clock  he  sent  word  up  to  Marta's  apart 
ment  that  he  was  in  the  lobby  of  the  Parkway,  and  if 
there  was  any  sign  of  a  deep  disappointment  about 
that  young  woman  when  she  left  her  rooms  it  had  en 
tirely  disappeared  when  she  shook  hands  with  Roger 
a  minute  later. 

"You  saw  the  papers?"  he  asked,  as  they  started 
for  the  door. 

"Every  one  of  them,"  replied  Marta. 

"Were  you  disappointed?"  he  asked. 


104  REVOLT 

"I  cried  for  an  hour,"  she  said,  simply.  He  looked 
her  full  in  the  face.  She  returned  his  gaze  steadily. 

"I  am  awfully  sorry,"  he  said,  "but  it  couldn't  be 
helped.  There  was  no  way  of  knowing.  My  father 
controls  the  press  and  I  figured  he  might  have  the 
publishers  put  in  a  garbled  account  of  the  affair,  but 
I  didn't  think  he  would  do  such  a  silly  thing  as  stop 
them  from  printing  a  line  about  a  matter  that  is  real 
news." 

"It  didn't  occur  to  me  that  it  was  silly,"  said  Marta, 
"but  the  more  I  think  of  it  the  more  stupid  it  becomes." 

"That's  the  way  I  look  at  it,"  continued  Roger. 
"I  was  knocked  off  my  pins  when  I  realized  that  there 
wasn't  a  line  in  the  papers.  Then  I  went  into  ex 
ecutive  session  with  myself  and  I  decided  that  any 
body  who  would  try  to  keep  the  news  of  such  an  im 
portant  meeting  out  of  the  papers  entirely,  was  giving 
notice  to  everybody  who  was  present  or  who  learned 
about  it  that  the  new  party  was  a  dangerous  party — 
I  mean  dangerous  in  the  sense  of  being  formidable  — 
and  nothing  grows  so  fast  as  a  movement  that  power 
ful  influences  are  apparently  afraid  of. 

"My  father,  at  the  very  outset,  has  told  every  news 
paper  man  in  New  York  that  he  is  afraid  of  the  Rev 
olutionist  party.  He  has  also  told  everyone  of  those 
who  were  present,  yesterday,  the  same  thing.  They 
will  now  look  upon  us  as  something  to  be  reckoned 
with  —  a  vital  factor  in  politics. 

"Further,  when  we  do  get  into  the  press,  we  will 


DISAPPOINTMENT  PLUS  105 

break  in  by  sheer  strength,  in  a  way  that  can't  be  set 
aside.  Two  hours  ago  I  was  the  bluest  man  in  New 
York.  Right  now  I  am  the  happiest  and  would  be  the 
happiest  man  in  the  world  if  I  were  sure  of  one  thing." 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Marta,  the  tone  of  his  voice 
having  indicated  that  he  wanted  her  to  ask  the  ques 
tion. 

They  were  nearing  the  entrance  to  the  Avenue 
offices.  The  spring  air  had  brought  the  blush  of  a 
rose  into  Marta's  cheeks  that  rivalled  the  bloom  of 
a  rose  that  she  had  pinned  to  her  coat  before  leaving 
her  apartments. 

Roger  looked  at  her,  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  said: 

"I  know  that  I  would  be  the  happiest  man  in  the 
world  if,"  he  hesitated,  "if  I  was  absolutely  sure  that 
we  could  elect  Holman  President  of  the  United  States." 

Marta  smiled  back  at  him.  She  would  have  been 
unworthy  the  name  of  woman  if  she  hadn't  known,  deep 
down  in  her  heart,  what  he  would  have  liked  to  say. 

"Well!  if  that  is  the  objective  that  will  bring  you 
the  most  happiness  there  is  only  one  thing  for  us  to  do 
—work  night  and  day  until  the  votes  are  counted  in 
November." 

"Are  you  absolutely  hopeful?"  asked  Roger. 

"After  the  way  in  which  you  have  shown  me  you 
can  take  disappointments  I  am  not  only  hopeful,  I 
am  absolutely  sure  that  the  Revolutionist  ticket  will  be 
triumphantly  elected,"  said  Marta,  and  they  went 
into  the  office  building,  walking  on  air. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   REVOLUTIONISTS   TAKE  A  BRACE 

Although  Roger's  appointment  at  Big  Headquarters 
with  Dan  Holman  had  been  for  nine-thirty  it  was 
just  ten  o'clock  when  he  kept  the  appointment.  He 
was  accompanied  by  Marta.  They  found  the  tenta 
tive  candidate  for  President  in  the  executive  offices  of 
the  headquarters  smoking  serenely  and  reading  the 
dullest  of  the  New  York  morning  dailies. 

After  greetings,  Roger  said,  "I  thought  we  had 
better  go  into  an  introspective  session  and  formulate 
plans  for  avoiding  any  such  disappointments  as  we 
faced  this  morning." 

"Seconded!"  said  Holman,  drily.  "But  let  me  tell 
you  one  thing,  Roger,  and  that  is  I'm  not  so  sure  the 
disappointment  isn't  a  blessing.  We  are  now  pre 
pared  to  meet  all  similar  attempts  and  we  have  the 
further  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  somebody  is  al 
ready  afraid  of  us." 

Roger  looked  at  Marta,  who  smiled  back  at  him. 
Speaking  to  Holman  she  said: 

"You  have  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion  that  Mr. 
Morton  had  reached  when  he  met  me.  I,  myself, 
was  just  beginning  to  formulate  a  similar  conclusion, 
but  I  was  afraid  that  it  was  more  an  excuse  for  our 

106 


THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  TAKE  A  BRACE         107 

failure  to  get  proper  publicity  than  a  logical  conclusion. 
In  your  case  it  would  be  purely  logical,  of  course." 

"Not  necessarily,"  answered  Holman.  "One  of  the 
great  weaknesses  of  every  campaign  is  the  flippant 
tendency  to  discount  the  strength  of  the  opposition. 
It  is  so  easy  to  say,  as  I  have  often  heard  prominent 
workers  say,  that  it  doesn't  amount  to  anything, 
when  the  opposing  faction  or  candidate  had  made 
some  telling  attack  or  speech. 

"I  have  learned  to  attach  the  utmost  importance 
to  everything  done  on  the  other  side,  to  analyze  it 
from  every  view-point  and  to  turn  it  to  account  if  it 
is  possible.  In  the  present  case  I  have  reached  these 
deductions : 

"First,  the  money  power  that  controls  the  New 
York  press  was  aware  of  everything  we  did,  and  ar 
ranged,  at  a  great  deal  of  effort,  to  stop  every  bit  of 
publicity. 

"Second,  that  we  have  made  an  impression  upon 
the  opposition  when  such  elaborate  plans  are  taken 
to  keep  our  story  from  getting  the  space  in  the  papers 
that  its  news  value  deserved. 

"Third,  that  we  must  secure  the  services  of  the 
most  competent  publicity  man  in  the  political  field 
that  we  can  find. 

"Fourth,  that  all  the  brains  in  the  country  are  not 
in  the  control  of  the  moneyed  interests  because  if 
they  were  we  would  not  have  been  told  so  forcefully 
that  we  were  something  to  be  feared.  But  they  have 


108  REVOLT 

told  us  so  in  a  way  that  leaves  no  doubt  in  my  mind. 
Do  you  agree  with  me  Roger?" 

"Word  for  word,  Dan,"  replied  Morton,  "and  I 
think  I  know  the  reason.  The  Governor  is  an  organ 
izer.  Organization  is  his  one  mental  domination. 
He  drilled  it  into  me,  but  I  never  went  beyond  the 
point  where  I  felt  that  it  over-shadowed  the  human 
equation. 

"But  the  Governor  thinks  it  the  beginning  and  the 
end  of  everything.  He  feels  that  he  won  his  place 
in  the  banking  World  entirely  through  organization. 
He  may  be  right.  He  feels  equally  sure  that  he  won 
all  his  political  fights  because  of  superior  organization. 
In  that  I'm  inclined  to  agree  with  him  as  I  followed 
them  all. 

"He  probably  had  investigators  reporting  to  him 
on  our  offices  and  they  also  reported  to  him  on  the 
way  in  which  the  opening  and  the  reception  were 
carried  through.  He  insisted  on  learning  all  the  de 
tails  and  the  details  to  him  indicated  good  organiza 
tion.  That  was  what  scared  the  Governor.  He 
isn't  afraid  of  anything  else." 

"You  think  that  your  father  would  employ  spies 
to  give  him  information?"  asked  Marta. 

Roger  laughed. 

"Spies  are  his  best  assets  in  a  political  fight,"  he 
said.  "I  don't  mean  men  carrying  guns  or  women 
vampires.  I  mean  trained  political  observers  who 
keep  their  ears  and  eyes  opened  and  sense  public 


THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  TAKE  A  BRACE  109 

sentiment.  My  father  has  a  mental  picture  of  yes 
terday's  events  that  is  more  comprehensive  than  if 
he  had  been  in  every  room  of  the  offices  and  in  the 
Parkway  Ball-room  all  at  the  same  time. 

"I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  he  had  the  names  of 
every  one  of  your  dinner  guests,  Miss  Falmouth, 
and  knew  what  was  said  at  the  dinner.  My  father 
is  very  thorough." 

"He  will  need  to  be,"  declared  Holman,  "because 
we  are  going  to  keep  him  busy.  How  about  a  pub 
licity  man,  Roger,  one  whom  we  can  trust?" 

"I  think  that  matter  is  being  taken  care  of,"  re 
plied  Roger,  "but  I'll  see."  He  reached  for  the  phone 
and  asked  the  office  exchange  to  get  White  of  the 
Editor  and  Publisher.  The  connection  was  made 
at  once. 

"Hello!  Jim,"  said  Roger.  "Roger  Morton  talk 
ing.  Have  you  got  on  the  trail  of  that  publicist  yet?" 

The  answer  came  back. 

"Just  a  minute,"  said  Roger,  then  to  Holman, 
"take  this  name  and  address,  Dan.  Edward  F. 
McWilliams,  35  Congress  St.,  Boston,"  then  back 
to  the  phone,  "Thanks  very  much.  I  am  going  to 
hire  him  simply  on  your  recommendation."  He 
hung  up. 

"White,  of  the  Editor  and  Publisher,  been  looking 
up  a  man  for  me.  Says  McWilliams  is  the  best  po 
litical  publicist  in  America.  Will  phone  him  to  be 
here  in  the  morning." 


110  REVOLT 

"I  hope  he's  able  to  take  on  all  the  publicity,  and 
meet  all  conditions.  Very  few  really  constructive 
publicists.  Lots  of  press  agents,  lots  of  good  writers, 
but  men  of  initiative  are  few.  They're  worth  every 
thing  in  a  campaign,"  commented  Holman. 

"I've  thought  out  a  tentative  plan  that  I'd  like  you 
to  consider,"  he  continued. 

"Go  ahead!"  said  Roger. 

"I  think  we  ought  to  open  our  general  campaign 
outside  of  New  York.  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston,  is  a 
public  building  that  stands  for  more  in  American 
History  than  any  other  one  edifice  —  Webster  called 
it  the  'Cradle  of  American  Liberty.' 

"I  was  thinking  that  if  we  could  launch  a  great 
nation-wide  speaking  tour  at  Faneuil  Hall  we  would 
be  starting  under  favorable  auspices." 

"Fine!"  said  Marta,  her  face  aglow.  "I  love  Fan 
euil  Hall,  and  it  means  so  much  to  every  thinking 
man  and  woman.  I  approve  of  it  heartily." 

"Well!"  said  Roger,  "I  may  be  a  New  Yorker, 
but  I  wouldn't  be  a  good  New  Yorker  if  I  didn't  give 
Faneuil  Hall  first  place  in  American  history  for  abso 
lute  freedom  of  speech.  I  also  endorse  your  idea,  Dan." 

"I  should  say  that  a  week  from  today  would  be 
as  good  a  time  as  any.  I  suggest  that  nobody  here 
know  anything  about  it  until  the  day  before.  I 
wouldn't  mention  it  over  the  phone.  Let  McWilliams 
—  if  we  engage  him  —  prepare  elaborate  advertise 
ments  for  the  Boston  papers,  to  be  signed  by  the 


THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  TAKE  A  BRACE         111 

Revolutionist  National  Committee,  announcing  the 
meeting. 

"He  also  can  suggest  some  presiding  officer,  al 
though  it  is  unimportant.  What  we  want  is  the 
biggest  crowd  that  the  Hall  ever  saw  —  an  enormous 
overflow  meeting  —  and  if  it  is  a  warm  night,  have 
arrangements  made  to  go  to  the  Old  North  Church, 
to  Bunker  Hill  and  then  return  to  Milk  Street,  where 
Ben  Franklin  was  born,  and  say  a  few  words  for  that 
staunch  old  revolutionist." 

"Great  program,  Dan,"  said  Roger,  enthusiasti 
cally.  "You  surely  know  Boston  like  a  book." 

"Had  to  learn  something  while  going  through  Har 
vard,"  said  Holman,  laconically.  "You'll  need  per 
mits  for  all  these  things  and  the  City  controls  the 
hall.  Anybody  can  engage  it  for  political  meetings. 
Put  McWilliams  to  work.  I'm  going  home  tonight 
and  make  arrangements  for  a  trip  all  over  the  country. 
I'll  give  you  my  itinerary  before  I  leave." 

"When  do  you  strike  New  York?"  asked  Roger. 

"When  I'm  absolutely  certain  that  all  the  money 
on  earth  can't  keep  the  New  York  newspapers  from 
giving  us  first  page  publicity,  I  shall  speak  in  Madison 
Square  Garden  and  we  will  turn  away  the  biggest 
crowd  that  the  old  building  ever  refused  to  accommo 
date." 

He  arose  and  held  up  his  head  as  if  to  challenge  the 
enemies  of  the  people.  Roger  slapped  him  on  the 
back,  affectionately. 


112  REVOLT 

"Good  old  boy,  Dan,"  he  said.  "I  guess  the  Gov 
ernor  has  started  something  this  morning." 

"Something  that  we've  got  to  finish  in  the  right 
way,"  replied  Holman,  feelingly. 

The  phone  rang.  Roger  reached  for  it.  A  clouded 
expression  came  over  his  face.  Turning  to  the  others 
he  said: 

"It's  from  the  Women's  Branch.  They  have 
just  been  notified  by  the  trustees  of  the  building 
that  several  of  the  tenants  object  to  the  Revolutionist 
flag  flying  from  the  building  and  that  it  must  be  taken 
in."  He  hung  up  the  phone. 

"What  will  we  do?"  asked  Marta,  in  consternation. 

"You   like   the   flag,   don't   you?"    asked    Roger. 

"I  just  love  it,"  said  Marta. 

"It  doesn't  do  to  haul  down  the  flag,  even  for  the 
arrogant  trustees  of  a  New  York  office  building,  does 
it?"  asked  Roger. 

"The  lease  doesn't  cover  us,"  said  Holman.  "If 
they  insist,  they  can  compel  us  to  haul  it  in." 

"Then  there's  only  one  thing  to  do,"  said  Morton, 
reaching  for  the  phone. 

"What's  that?"  asked  Holman. 

"Buy  the  damn  building,  of  course,"  replied  the 
millionaire  revolutionist,  telling  the  operator  to  get 
him  one  of  the  city's  biggest  real  estate  operators. 

"The  Governor  started  something,  all  right," 
smiled  Dan  Holman. 

Marta  made  no  comment.     She  just  sat  and  looked 


THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  TAKE  A  BRACE         113 

from  one  to  the  other  of  the  two  men.  She  was  be 
ginning  to  realize  the  meaning  of  the  colloquial  phrase 
"  a  go-through  man."  She  wondered  if  it  was  hu 
manly  possible  to  stop  two  such  dynamic  forces  as 
were  represented  in  Dan  Holjnan  whom  she  admired, 
and  Roger  Morton  whom  she  loved. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE   MONEY  POWERS  CONVENE 

The  telegraphic  hurry-up,  sent  out  by  President 
Morton  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company  to  his  col 
leagues  in  the  financial  world,  brought  immediate  re 
sponse,  as  usual.  From  as  far  away  as  California 
came  Elton,  the  fruit  king,  from  Oregon  came  Mosely, 
the  fish  and  lumber  king,  and  from  various  other  parts 
of  the  country  came  the  recognized  heads  of  every 
branch  of  economic  exploitation. 

The  meeting  was  secret,  as  were  all  meetings  of 
this  group,  and  was  held  in  the  executive  offices  of 
the  Universal  Trust  four  days  after  the  opening  of 
the  Women's  Branch  of  the  Revolutionist  party. 

Morton  called  the  meeting  to  order.  He  looked 
around  the  group  in  front  of  him,  counting  them. 

"Fifteen  present,  not  counting  myself,"  he  said. 

"That  is  correct.  Farnley,  Aylesworth  and  Benson 
wired  me  unable  to  come,  blanket  endorsement  of 
every  effort." 

It  was  not  necessary  to  tell  the  fifteen  prosperous 
looking  men  facing  him  that  Farnley  was  the  head 
of  the  motion  picture  industry  and  its  allied  ramifica 
tions,  that  Aylesworth  controlled  the  furniture  in 
dustry  of  the  North  American  continent  and  that 

114 


THE  MONEY  POWERS  CONVENE  115 

Benson  was  the  head  of  the  trust  that  manufactured 
about  ninety  per  cent  of  all  the  clothing  and  shoes 
worn  by  the  people  of  the  United  States.  This  par 
ticular  trust  had  been  one  of  those  formed  shortly 
after  the  great  war,  with  funds  made  in  large  gov 
ernmental  transactions. 

"I  do  not  need  to  tell  you  gentlemen  that  this  is 
Presidential  year,"  continued  Morton.  "Ordinarily 
I  would  go  ahead  with  plans  for  the  selection  of  agree 
able  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-president  in 
both  leading  parties,  and  then  let  the  people  choose 
the  pair  they  liked  the  better. 

"But  certain  things  have  come  up  that  made  me 
feel  as  though  I  should  consult  with  you  gentlemen 
before  going  ahead. 

"A  new  party  has  been  formed  that  promises  to 
make  trouble." 

"That's  what  they  all  claim  and  then  they  fall 
with  a  thud!"  said  Turnholt,  of  Chicago,  the  head  of 
the  meat  industry,  sarcastically. 

"This  party  is  different  in  many  ways, "said  Morton. 
"If  it  wasn't  I  wouldn't  bother  to  talk  about  it." 

"Well!  shoot  it!  Give  us  the  dope,"  said  Galloway, 
the  head  of  the  Galloway  chain  of  retail  stores. 

"In  the  first  place,  they  have  unlimited  money," 
continued  Morton. 

"What  of  it?"  asked  Milliken,  the  oil  king. 

"It  is  the  greatest  essential  in  American  politics 
as  conducted  today,"  replied  Morton.  "They've 


116  REVOLT 

got  all  the  money  that  can  be  spent  in  a  campaign 
without  resentment  on  the  part  of  the  people.  There  is 
a  limit  as  to  how  much  money  can  be  spent  judiciously. 
They  have  all  they  need  and  they  can  go  the  limit." 

"Anything  else?"  asked  Walters,  the  head  of  the 
automobile  industry. 

"Plenty,  if  you'll  all  keep  quiet,"  said  Morton, 
showing  the  first  trace  of  irritation  at  the  sarcastic 
interruptions. 

"This  new  party  has  the  brains  and  the  desire  to 
organize.  Already  they  have  a  better  arranged  set 
of  offices  than  the  Democratic  National  party  had 
four  years  ago.  Furthermore  they  have  the  best 
organizer  in  America  at  their  head." 

"Who  is  it?"  asked  Mendel,  the  Aeroplane  king. 
"Can't  we  get  him?" 

Morton  shook  his  head. 

"No!"  he  replied,  "we  can't.  In  fact,  gentlemen, 
it  is  Roger  Morton  who  is  furnishing  the  money  to 
organize  this  new  party.  I  tried  to  reason  with  him, 
but  he  had  given  his  word  to  his  old  Professor  at 
Harvard  to  go  through  and  he'll  go  through  to  the 
limit.  'Morton's  don't  break  their  word/  he  told  me, 
and  he's  right.  Incidentally  I've  given  my  word  to 
put  the  new  Revolutionist  party  out  of  business." 

At  the  word  "Revolutionist"  the  entire  group  sat 
up  as  though  electrified. 

"Is  that  the  name  they've  adopted?"  asked  Nugent, 
head  of  the  Drug  trust. 


THE  MONEY  POWERS  CONVENE  117 

"That  is  the  name,"  answered  Morton,  "and  they 
have  copied  the  flag  of  the  original  thirteen  colonies 
as  their  emblem,  with  a  letter  in  each  star. 

"The  only  reason  you  havn't  seen  something  about 
it  in  the  papers  is  because  I  clamped  the  lid  down 
tight  and  have  held  it  there. 

"They  held  an  opening  of  their  so-called  Women's 
Branch  last  Wednesday.  I  had  it  covered  at  every 
point.  It  was  a  great  success.  They  had  invited 
every  big  woman  in  New  York  to  attend,  and  they 
gave  a  big  reception  and  musicale  at  the  Parkway 
Ball-room  after  the  branch  was  opened.  The  bill  for 
the  talent  alone  was  around  forty  thousand  and  it 
was  worth  it  because  no  woman  in  New  York  could 
resist  going." 

"My  wife  was  there,  but  she  thought  it  was  some 
crazy  movement,"  broke  in  Edgerly,  the  head  of  the 
Coal  industry.  "I  paid  no  attention  to  it," 

"Well!  it  isn't  something  to  be  ignored,"  went  on 
Morton,  seriously.  "It  is  a  formidable  movement 
and  one  that  can't  be  stopped.  The  woman  that 
they  have  at  the  head  of  the  women's  department  is 
as  sincere  as  Joan  of  Arc.  I'm  told  that  she  speaks 
like  a  gifted  actress  and  yet  she's  new  in  this  line. 

"Their  candidate  for  President  is  Dan  Holman  of 
Kansas.  Most  of  you  have  heard  him  talk  and  you 
know  the  kind  of  crowds  he  can  draw.  Of  course, 
money  means  nothing  to  a  man  who  has  reached 
Holman's  age  without  expressing  the  least  desire  ever 


118  REVOLT 

to  amass  wealth.  In  fact  he's  one  of  that  type  of 
men  who  will  go  broke  at  forty  to  carry  out  an  idea 
—  a  dangerous  man  because  you  can't  control  him. 

"A  little  thing  happened  the  day  after  their  opening 
that  shows  the  speed  at  which  they  intend  to  work. 

"They  flew  their  new  Revolutionist  flag  out  of 
their  office  window  in  the  Avenue  Building.  I  got 
into  touch  with  the  Morton  National  people  on  the 
ground  floor  and  they  filed  a  protest  with  the  trustees 
of  the  building  against  such  a  flag  flying." 

"What  happened?"  inquired  Forsyth  of  the  Ship 
trust. 

"Roger  took  title  to  the  building  inside  of  an  hour 
and  served  notice  on  every  tenant  in  the  building 
that  the  flag  was  going  to  stay  up  and  that  a  new 
electric  sign  was  going  to  be  installed  that  would 
spell  Revolutionist  in  red,  white  and  blue  letters  until 
election  day,  next  November." 

"What  is  their  next  move?"  asked  Oliver  of  Atlanta, 
the  head  of  the  Cotton  trade. 

"I  can't  find  out.  Holman  went  back  to  Kansas, 
Thursday  afternoon,  and  while  there  is  all  kinds  of 
office  activity  there  doesn't  appear  to  be  any  planning 
for  a  big  demonstration. 

"Usually,  Madison  Square  Garden  is  the  place 
where  they  start  these  things.  You  remember  that 
big  Bolshevist  meeting  that  the  police  had  to  stop 
back  in  '21  and  the  series  of  Socialist  meetings  that 
have  been  held  there  recently.  The  Garden  is  the 


THE  MONEY  POWERS  CONVENE  119 

logical  place  for  their  next  demonstration,  but  they 
haven't  even  made  inquiries  on  dates." 

"Why  not  engage  the  Garden  for  every  night  until 
election  day?"  asked  Sargent,  the  Silver  king. 

"Under  city  regulations,  now.  When  engaged, 
the  garden  must  be  used.  We  played  the  other  game 
too  often,  back  in  the  1932  fight,  trying  to  kill  off 
Dolliver.  No,  if  they  want  the  use  of  Madison  Square 
Garden  they  can  have  it  and  nobody  can  stop  them. 

"The  only  way  to  stop  the  Revolutionist  party 
is  to  fight  them  at  the  polls  with  the  best  candidate 
the  Republican  party  can  put  up." 

"What's  the  matter  with  Bancroft?"  asked  Purcell, 
the  flour  king. 

"You  always  leaned  toward  the  Democrats,"  an 
swered  Morton,  directing  his  remarks  to  Purcell,  "but 
Bancroft's  administration  hasn't  satisfied  anybody. 
He  will  be  re-nominated  but  he  is  licked  right  now. 
Don't  misunderstand  me.  He  has  been  all  right  so 
far  as  any  personal  requests  go.  He  put  Horsley 
at  the  head  of  the  Federal  Reserve  and  he  named 
the  entire  cabinet  that  we  suggested,  but  he  hasn't 
done  anything  to  satisfy  popular  clamour  and  he's 
going  to  be  defeated. 

"One  thing  we  must  always  consider  in  a  fight 
such  as  we  are  facing  and  that  is  that  the  new  party 
if  properly  organized  cannot  be  ignored  and  that  if 
the  Democrats  and  Republicans  are  of  even  strength 
the  new  ticket  will  win. 


120  REVOLT 

"When  Roosevelt  was  nominated  on  the  Progressive 
ticket,  back  in  1912,  if  he  had  taken  the  same  strength 
from  the  Democrats  that  he  did  from  the  Republicans 
he  would  have  been  elected  overwhelmingly.  The 
Democrats  didn't  fall  down,  anywhere,  so  they  won. 

"You  see  how  important  it  is  that  we  don't  have 
two  strong  men  in  the  field.  That  is  why  I'm  glad 
to  see  Bancroft  re-nominated.  He  will  enable  us  to 
concentrate  our  efforts  on  the  republican  candidate." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  Revolutionist  can 
didate  is  absolutely  sure  of  second  place?"  asked 
Wales,  the  copper  magnate,  nervously. 

"Nothing  can  stop  him  from  defeating  one  of  our 
candidates"  replied  Morton.  "There  is  just  enough 
unrest  in  the  country  to  accomplish  that  much. 

"Our  hope  is  to  keep  him  from  defeating  both  of 
them,  and  that  can  be  stopped  only  by  putting  a 
powerful,  conservative  candidate  at  the  head  of  the 
Republican  ticket  and  let  Bancroft  shift  for  himself. 
By  getting  all  the  conservatives  from  both  parties 
we  can  win." 

"Have  you  anybody  in  mind?"  asked  Goss,  the 
head  of  the  Railways. 

"Four  men  are  under  consideration,"  said  Morton. 
"I  shall  see  them  all  within  a  week  and  reach  a  de 
cision.  Then  we  will  proceed  to  nominate. 

"There  isn't  anything  else  to  be  considered,  gentle 
men.  As  to  finances  we  shall  need  about  two  hundred 
million.  The  assessments  will  be  levied  in  the  usual 


THE  MONEY  POWERS  CONVENE  121 

form,  later.  I'm  not  worried,  you  understand.  I'm 
not  afraid  of  a  fight,  as  you  know,  but  there  are  some 
strange  elements  in  this  one,  and  when  it  comes  to 
organization  we  are  up  against  the  best  organizer  in 
America,  even  if  he  is  my  son." 

"Did  you  ever  tell  him  he  was  the  best?"  asked 
Galloway  of  the  Retail  stores. 

"No,"  said  Morton,  smiling,  "in  fact,  I  used  to 
intimate  that  he  was  the  worst,  but  all  the  time  I 
knew  he  was  a  genius.  I  gave  him  a  jolt  the  other 
day  and  I'll  continue  to  jolt  him  as  we  go  along.  If 
we  can  only  shake  his  confidence  we  will  be  doing  the 
best  thing  I  can  think  of. 

"But,"  and  there  was  just  the  least  bit  of  fatherly 
pride  in  his  voice,  "he's  a  Morton  and  he's  a  go- 
through  man,  and  he's  given  his  word. 

"We've  got  some  work  ahead,  gentlemen,  so  be 
ready  at  any  time.  I  anticipate  a  very  busy  Summer 
and  Fall.  I  thought  you  might  like  to  know,  well 
in  advance,  that  I  am  not  unprepared  for  the  things 
that  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  are  going  to  happen." 

The  meeting  stood  adjourned,  subject  to  the  call 
of  the  chair. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ON  TO  FANEUIL  HALL 

One  week  after  the  opening  of  the  Women's  Branch, 
the  Revolutionist  party  held  its  first  big  public  meet 
ing.  Profiting  by  the  experiences  gained  at  the 
Women's  meeting,  Roger  had  planned  a  surprise 
on  his  father.  He  had  kept  the  big  meeting  a  pro 
found  secret  at  the  New  York  headquarters  and  in 
structed  his  new  publicity  man  not  to  say  a  word 
about  it  until  the  day  before  it  was  to  take  place. 

"Faneuil  Hall,  Boston,  isn't  a  large  hall  to  fill, 
McWilliams,"  he  explained  to  the  publicity  man, 
"and  if  we  hold  back  all  our  copy  until  the  day  before 
the  meeting  we  are  not  taking  any  chances  on  securing 
an  overflow  audience,  but  we  are  making  it  impossible 
to  circumvent  us  on  publicity." 

"How  heavy  will  I  go  on  space?"  asked  McWilliams. 

"As  much  space  as  they'll  take  on  the  front  pages 
and  a  full  page  in  every  paper  on  the  inside,"  answered 
Roger.  "I  want  the  place  jammed,  I  want  the  old 
cradle  to  rock  for  the  new  liberty,  but  I  want  the 
national  publicity  that  goes  with  it.  By  not  letting 
the  opposition  know  anything  about  it  until  after  we 
have  sprung  our  advertising  they  will  not  try  to  stop 
the  ads  from  appearing." 

"I  don't  believe  the  Boston  papers  would  turn  down 

122 


ON  TO  FANEUIL  HALL  123 

advertisements  just  because  your  father  asked  them 
to  do  so,"  said  McWilliams. 

"I'm  not  going  to  give  him  a  chance  to  bring  any 
pressure  to  bear,"  said  Roger.  "This  meeting  has 
got  to  make  good.  That's  why  I  engaged  you.  No 
more  trusting  to  luck." 

So  it  happened  that  while  Lannigan  was  watching 
every  move  of  Roger  and  Marta  in  New  York  and  as 
one  of  his  best  men  was  following  Dan  Holman  out 
to  Kansas  and  had  wired  that  Holman  was  now  on  the 
way  back,  McWilliams  had  prepared  elaborate  ad 
vertisements  to  startle  Bostonians  into  coming  to 
historic  Faneuil  Hall.  These  ads  he  released  in  the 
evening  edition  of  the  afternoon  papers  the  day  be 
fore  the  meeting,  and  followed  them  up  in  the  morning 
editions  the  day  of  the  meeting. 

Edward  McWilliams  knew  his  profession.  Cheated 
for  years  out  of  the  recognition  that  his  wonderful 
talents  should  have  commanded  and  waiving  aside 
the  large  fees  that  he  could  have  obtained,  had 
he  been  willing  to  prostitute  these  talents,  he  had 
entered  into  his  relations  with  the  Revolutionist  party 
with  all  his  old-time  zeal.  Although  well  past  fifty 
years  of  age  his  philosophy  of  life  and  adherence  to 
idealism  in  all  matters  of  public  contact  with  the 
printed  word  had  kept  him  young.  McWilliams 
would  never  be  an  old  man.  He  had  found  the  spring 
in  his  own  heart  for  which  Ponce  de  Leon  had  searched 
a  continent  in  vain. 


124  REVOLT 

This  little  observation  on  McWilliams  is  necessary 
to  an  understanding  of  the  enthusiasm  that  entered 
into  the  Revolutionist  Campaign  from  the  first  public 
announcement  in  Boston  and  that  continued  to  grow 
in  geometric  ratio  with  succeeding  announcements, 
not  only  in  the  form  of  advertising  but  interviews 
with  leaders  in  the  movement,  stories  of  all  kinds, 
and  in  fact  every  conceivable  form  of  publicity. 

Many  people  have  wondered  how  it  was  possible 
to  keep  up  the  intense  —  the  almost  fanatical  enthus 
iasm,  bordering  at  times  on  frenzy  —  that  accompa 
nied  the  progress  of  the  Revolutionist  Movement. 
Some  have  credited  the  movement  itself  with  supply 
ing  it.  To  an  extent  the  movement  was  the  basis, 
but  the  most  vital  element  was  the  fact  that 
McWilliams  handled  the  publicity  and  handled  it  in 
the  most  masterly  fashion. 

His  first  release,  the  announcements  in  the  evening 
editions  of  the  Boston  papers,  were  marvels  of  clarity. 
Presented  in  plain  gothic  type  with  liberal  use  of 
white  space  they  stood  forth  under  the  one  word 
REVOLT  in  such  a  way  that  no  reader  of  the  millions 
who  purchased  the  evening  papers  could  possibly 
avoid  them.  Everybody  in  Boston,  in  fact,  every 
body  within  fifty  miles  of  Boston,  knew  that  there  was 
to  be  a  meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall  on  the  following  eve 
ning  at  which  Dan  Holman  was  to  speak. 

Unlike  most  publicists,  McWilliams  was  not  lazy. 
He  didn't  slur  his  work.  That  was  why  he  changed 


ON  TO  FANEUIL  HALL  125 

his  tactics  in  the  morning  papers  and  discussed  the 
new  party  under  the  caption  REVOLUTIONIST, 
laying  stress  on  Faneuil  Hall  as  the  one  edifice  where 
any  real  movement  for  freedom  should  be  initiated. 
The  unlimited  space  at  his  command  and  the  fact 
that  there  was  no  law  against  spending  any  amount 
in  national  publicity  campaigns  enabled  McWilliams 
to  use  pages  for  his  purpose. 

In  the  evening  editions  he  used  all  the  space  that 
was  available  on  the  front  page  of  every  paper  and 
placed  under  each  other  the  three  words  REVOLU 
TIONIST,  TONIGHT,  and  HOLM  AN,  set  in  heavy 
capital  letters  and  in  still  larger  type  FANEUIL 
HALL.  No  such  profligate  use  of  advertising  space 
had  ever  been  seen  in  Boston.  It  established  one 
thing  for  all  time,  that  advertising  of  the  right  kind 
always  gets  results. 

Many  accounts  of  the  meeting  are  available. 
Every  newspaper  covered  the  story  and  the  scream 
ing  advertising  had  compelled  the  attendance  of  the 
Associated  Press  representative  together  with  the 
special  writers  for  several  of  the  big  syndicates  or 
chains  of  papers.  The  story  in  the  Post  was  as  com 
plete  as  any  and  was  written  in  a  way  that  conveyed 
the  best  idea  to  those  who  were  not  personally  present. 

Every  paper  in  America  carried  the  story  on  the 
front  page  the  following  morning.  Every  editorial 
page  in  America  had  something  to  say  about  Holman's 
speech.  Leaving  out  the  headlines,  the  Post's  story, 


126  REVOLT 

or  rather  introduction  to  the  complete  story,  will 
seek  to  bring  the  meeting  before  us.  This  is  from  the 
files  of  that  paper. 

"Never  in  the  history  of  Faneuil  Hall  has  such  an 
enormous  gathering  stormed  at  the  doors  and  swirled 
in  dense  masses  around  that  edifice  as  last  night, 
when  Dan  Holman  was  scheduled  to  speak  on  behalf 
of  a  new  party  known  as  the  Revolutionist  party. 

"Early  in  the  afternoon  a  fair  sized  crowd  had  gath 
ered  at  the  front  door.  By  the  time  the  stalls  in  the 
market  under  the  Hall  were  closing  up  at  five  o'clock 
it  was  impossible  to  move  in  the  Square  in  front  of 
the  Hall.  Police  reserves  were  called  to  handle  the 
crowd.  At  six  o'clock  the  news  had  spread  that  there 
was  a  riot  at  Faneuil  Hall  and  while  this  was  not 
literally  true  it  was  a  riot  in  theory  because  it  was 
impossible  to  handle  the  ever  increasing  mobs  of 
people. 

."At  seven  o'clock,  when  the  doors  were  thrown  open, 
it  required  the  combined  effort  of  fifty  police  to  keep 
the  crowd  in  check.  The  Hall  was  jammed  to  suffo 
cation  in  five  minutes.  All  attempts  to  get  the  mu 
sicians  into  the  Hall  were  abandoned.  They  played 
on  State  Street,  nearly  two  hundred  yards  away  from 
the  Hall,  early  in  the  evening. 

"At  eight  o'clock,  when  Holman's  automobile  tried 
to  reach  the  Hall  through  Dock  Square,  the  crowd 
was  so  large  that  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
every  direction  the  streets  leading  to  the  Hall  were 


ON  TO  FANEUIL  HALL  127 

blocked.  After  fifteen  minutes  of  worming  its  way 
through  the  crowd  the  car  managed  to  reach  the  rear 
entrance  and  Holman  entered  the  Hall  accompanied 
by  Roger  Adams  Morton  of  New  York,  son  of  John 
Paine  Morton,  and  Marta  Falmouth,  daughter  of 
Professor  Falmouth,  late  of  Cambridge.  Morton  is 
understood  to  be  the  business  manager  of  the  New 
Movement  and  Miss  Falmouth  is  in  charge  of  the 
Women's  Branch. 

"The  stage  was  crowded  with  people,  every  apparent 
space  being  occupied.  Only  the  assistance  of  the 
police  had  made  it  possible  for  reporters  to  get  to 
their  seats  in  front  of  the  platform.  But  crowds  are 
elastic  and  Holman  forced  his  way  to  the  speaker's 
place  and  Morton  and  Miss  Falmouth  finally  managed 
to  get  the  two  seats  on  either  side  of  him. 

"It  was  evident  that  there  was  no  preconcerted 
cheering.  The  record-breaking  crowd  indicated  in 
every  way  that  it  was  purely  spontaneous.  They 
had  been  attracted  by  the  advertisements  and  while 
Holman  has  always  been  a  drawing  card  it  was  evident 
that  the  vast  majority  of  the  crowd  were  there  ex 
pecting  something  unusual  —  something  of  deeper 
import  than  a  mere  political  speech. 

"They  were  not  to  be  disappointed.  Raising  his 
hand  for  silence  and  finally  getting  the  crowd  quiet 
Holman  began  his  speech.  In  easy,  conversational 
tones  he  outlined  the  reasons  for  the  inception  of  a 
new  party.  He  enjoys  no  false  reputation  as  a  pub- 


128  REVOLT 

lie  speaker.  He  never  was  in  better  form  that  last 
night. 

"Paying  eloquent  tribute  to  Faneuil  Hall  as  the  ideal 
place  in  which  to  launch  any  movement  tending 
toward  freedom  he  was  soon  driving  home  the  funda 
mentals  of  his  new  party.  The  audience  was  at  first 
non-committal.  An  unusual  audience  in  many  ways, 
they  could  neither  be  called  friendly  nor  unfriendly. 
The  reception  had  been  cordial,  but  this  was  a  tribute 
to  Holman's  own  personal  popularity  and  not  to  the 
new  movement.  That  had  to  be  explained.  Holman 
laid  his  foundations  and  then  began  to  explain  in 
details. 

"The  speech  covered  just  an  hour.  It  was  delivered 
without  a  break  or  lapse  of  any  kind  except  as  the 
applause  toward  the  end  punctuated  every  climax. 
As  he  finished  in  a  peroration  that  made  the  walls 
of  the  Hall  shake  with  the  vibrance  of  his  matchless 
voice  the  crowd  seemed  to  stop  breathing  to  catch 
every  intonation  of  every  syllable  and  as  he  closed 
in  a  ferment  of  oratory,  the  applause  knew  no  bounds. 
It  continued  unabated  for  fifteen  minutes.  Only 
physical  exhaustion  brought  about  its  cessation. 

"The  speech  in  full  will  be  found  in  another  column 
of  the  Post.  After  the  speech  was  concluded  and 
the  applause  had  subsided,  Holman  announced  that 
he  would  address  an  overflow  meeting  in  Adams 
Square.  He  forced  his  way  through  the  crowd,  ac 
companied  by  Morton  and  Miss  Falmouth,  and  went 


CW  TO  FANEUIL  HALL  129 

to  the  Square  in  his  car.  He  made  a  short  speech 
from  the  top  of  the  limousine.  As  he  finished  the 
speech,  somebody  in  the  crowd,  near  the  machine, 
yelled  'Why  not  parade  to  Bunker  Hill  and  speak?' 

"The  crowd  began  to  cheer  the  sentiment  and  some 
volunteers  rushed  down  to  get  the  band.  Five  min 
utes  later  the  parade  started  for  Charlestown.  A 
fair  estimate  of  the  crowd  would  place  it  around  a 
hundred  thousand. 

"Holman  made  a  new  address  at  the  foot  of  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  and  after  the  address  the  band  pro 
ceeded  back,  followed  by  most  of  the  crowd,  and 
jammed  its  way  into  Milk  Street  in  front  of  Ben  Frank 
lin's  birthplace,  where  Holman  made  the  final  address 
of  the  evening,  paying  a  tribute  to  Franklin  such  as 
only  a  man  like  Holman  can  phrase.  It  was  about  1.30 
in  the  morning  when  Holman  said  'goodbye'  to  a  crowd 
of  several  thousand,  at  his  hotel  in  Copley  Square. 

"No  public  man  ever  received  such  applause  in  the 
history  of  Boston,  and  no  such  crowds  ever  gathered 
in  the  city.  It  was  noticeable  that  every  word  uttered 
by  Holman  was  along  the  lines  of  Americanism. 

"The  crowds  were  very  orderly.  It  is  understood 
that  Miss  Falmouth  is  to  address  the  Massachusetts 
Woman  Suffrage  Association  today.  Although  that 
body  is  not  affiliated  in  any  way  with  any  party 
movement,  they  are  willing  to  listen  to  representa 
tives  of  all  parties  any  time.  There  is  no  political 
significance  attaching  to  her  speech  before  them." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  CRADLE  OF  LIBERTY  ROCKS  AGAIN 

Holman's  speech,  as  delivered  at  Faneuil  Hall, 
Boston,  was  variously  considered  by  the  American 
press,  the  succeeding  days.  By  some  it  was  called  a 
"masterpiece  of  political  utterance,"  by  others  it  was 
characterized  as  "platitudinousness  raised  to  the 
nth  power,"  and  by  the  ultra  conservative  press  it 
was  commented  upon  in  even  more  uncomplimentary 
terms. 

The  fact  that  a  bronze  tablet  has  since  been  placed 
in  the  Hall  by  the  Bay  State  Historical  Society  to 
commemorate  the  date  of  the  speech  does  not  in  any 
way  seem  to  reconcile  the  differing  opinions  of  the 
speech  itself.  It  does,  however,  serve  to  establish  the 
fact  that  Holman's  effort  marked  the  beginning  of 
the  greatest  campaign  of  reasoning  yet  waged  in  the 
onward  progress  of  government  by  the  people  as 
opposed  to  government  from  any  other  source. 

To  appreciate  Holman's  speech  one  has  to  read 
into  it  the  time,  the  unrest  in  some  quarters  and  in 
dolence  in  others,  the  compelling  personality  of  the 
speaker,  the  enormous  crowd  that  was  present  and, 
in  retrospection,  the  dramatic  events  that  followed. 
No  speech  is  great  in  and  of  itself.  It  is  great  only 

130 


THE  CRADLE  OF  LIBERTY  ROCKS  AGAIN         131 

when  analyzed  in  conjunction  with  events  leading 
up  to  its  delivery  and  its  greatness  is  only  permanently 
established  by  the  related  events  that  have  followed 
it.  Washington's  farewell  address,  Lincoln's  Gettys 
burg  address,  Bryan's  address  at  the  Chicago  con 
vention  that  first  nominated  him  for  President, 
Webster's  speech  in  reply  to  Hayne,  in  fact,  any  effort, 
whether  long  or  short,  dramatically  colored  or  couched 
in  plain,  unvarnished  phrase  is  permanently  great 
only  as  history  writes  greatness  into  it  as  the  years 
roll  along.  A  century  from  now,  Lincoln's  speech 
will  still  be  the  unequalled  masterpiece  of  doctrinarial 
Americanism,  because  it  associates  itself  with  the 
turning  point  of  the  Civil  War,  the  re-birth  of  the 
Union. 

Holman's  speech  at  Faneuil  Hall  marks  the  turn 
ing  point  of  the  long  struggle  between  the  American 
money  power  and  the  American  people.  To  reprint 
the  speech  in  full  is  unnecessary.  Many  parts  of  it 
are  only  of  value  to  the  students  of  American  history. 
The  last  edition  of  his  speeches  gives  the  Faneuil 
Hall  speech,  with  ample  notations.  But  for  the 
purposes  of  this  story  it  is  necessary  to  reprint  about 
one  fourth  of  the  speech  —  that  part  directly  affect 
ing  the  fundamentals  of  the  new  movement. 

After  paying  due  homage  to  the  illustrious  line  of 
immortals  who  had  during  nearly  two  centuries  graced 
the  platform  of  Faneuil  Hall,  touching  in  epigrammatic 
phrase  on  the  Adamses,  Otis,  Webster,  Kossuth, 


132  REVOLT 

Phillips,  Sumner,  Choate,  Hoar,  Garrison,  Emerson, 
Susan  B.  Anthony,  Lucy  Stone,  Julia  Ward  Howe 
and  o  there-,  he  finally  reached  this  part  of  his  address 
that  explained  the  need  for  a  new  party.  In  resonant 
tones  he  said : 

"There  comes  a  time  in  the  affairs  of  nations,  both 
great  and  small,  when  they  must  take  account  of 
stock  to  determine  whether  their  liabilities  are  more 
than  their  assets,  when  a  balance  should  be  struck 
upon  which  the  future  conduct  of  the  nation  must  be 
based  if  national  bankruptcy  is  to  be  averted. 

"The  assets  of  a  nation  do  not  consist  entirely  of 
things  material.  Coal  and  iron,  woodlands  and 
wheatlands,  length  and  breadth  of  territory,  are 
assets  only  as  they  blend  into  that  greater  asset,  a 
contented  and  interested  people.  All  these  natural 
resources,  in  their  virgin  treasure  house,  were  here 
four  centuries  ago,  but  they  meant  little  to  the  world. 

"They  had  yet  to  be  given  to  mankind.  They 
were  only  potential  assets.  In  the  hands  of  an  un 
enlightened  people  they  would  have  meant  no  more 
to  humanity  than  do  the  equally  wonderful  resources 
of  Mexico,  as  they  lay  undeveloped  at  the  hands  of 
an  impotent  government. 

"Nations  either  go  forward  or  backward.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  standing  still,  no  marking  time. 
For  the  past  ten  years,  America  has  been  trying  to 
mark  time  —  to  do  the  impossible.  Indifference  to 
political  conditions  is  the  best  indication  of  that. 


THE  CRADLE  OF  LIBERTY  ROCKS  AGAIN        133 

Less  men  voted  four  years  ago  than  voted  at  the 
presidential  election  eight  years  ago.  This  was  in 
spite  of  the  acceptance  of  Woman  Suffrage,  long  de 
layed  by  thirteen  reactionary  states.  It  came  at 
last,  so  grudgingly  that  all  spontaneity  was  lacking. 
That  is  why  the  votes  of  the  women  were  not  more  in 
evidence  four  years  ago. 

"For  four  years  a  spirit  of  political  indolence  seems 
to  have  come  over  the  people.  Unrest  among  in 
dustrial  workers  has  only  little  to  do  with  it.  This 
unrest  can  always  be  assuaged  by  increased  wages, 
but  indolence  cannot  be  so  treated. 

"The  indolent  attitude  is  the  first  sign  of  weakening 
morale  among  any  citizenship.  It  is  manifest  in 
America  for  the  first  time.  This  don't-care  spirit 
is  one  that  cannot  be  combatted  by  specious  argument. 
It  can  be  met  only  by  offering  something  to  the  people 
that  will  arouse  their  interest.  America  will  begin 
to  disintegrate  the  moment  that  her  citizens,  in 
sufficient  numbers,  lose  interest  in  her  continued 
growth.  An  uninterested  democracy  is  a  dying 
democracy. 

"If  nations  since  the  Christian  era  had  never  made 
mistakes  the  world  would  still  be  governed  by  Im 
perial  Rome.  Rome  fell  because  the  Romans  lost 
interest  in  Rome.  They  made  a  national  mistake. 
So  also  fell  Spain  and  Russia  and  Germany  in  world 
influence.  They  went  just  so  far  and  then  came  the 
time  for  a  decision  that  meant  going  forward  or  back- 


134  REVOLT 

ward  and  that  decision  in  all  three  instances  was 
wrong. 

"The  United  States  of  America  must  make  its  de 
cision,  this  year,  whether  we  are  to  go  forward  or 
backward.  If  the  people  decide  wrong,  the  dissolu 
tion  of  the  United  States  will  not  be  far  off.  Let  me 
be  specific! 

"For  years  certain  radical  elements  among  our 
people  have  been  waiting  for  the  time  when  an  up 
rising  of  force  would  be  successful  in  the  overthrow 
of  our  government.  Since  the  Great  War  and  the 
peace  that  followed  it,  we  have  become  indifferent 
to  force.  We  have  assumed  that  force  is  no  longer 
a  possibility.  Simply  because  wars  between  nations 
have  been  eliminated  is  no  reason  for  believing  that 
there  is  no  longer  the  possibility  of  force  from  secret 
organizations  among  un-American  elements  within 
our  own  borders. 

"I  am  a  man  of  peace.  I  believe  in  the  greatest 
force  known  to  man,  the  force  of  intellect,  the  most 
dominant  force  of  the  universe,  when  exercised  for 
the  betterment  of  mankind.  Tonight  I  call  upon 
that  force  to  help  me  save  America  from  anarchy, 
save  her  from  the  fate  of  Russia  in  the  interim  days 
following  the  dethronement  of  the  Czar  and  up  to 
the  time  when  intelligence  finally  succeeded  chaos. 

"The  trouble  with  America  today  is  not  due  to 
this  indolence  on  the  part  of  her  citizens.  Rather 
is  the  indolence  I  have  described  the  result  of  political 


THE  CRADLE  OF  LIBERTY  ROCKS  AGAIN        135 

conditions.  The  people  are  just  beginning  to  realize 
that  they  have  no  choice  in  the  election  of  candidates. 
They  know  that  the  money-powers  nominate  the 
candidates  of  both  of  the  leading  parties.  Lack  of 
organization  and  funds  make  the  minor  parties  in 
consequential. 

"This  has  been  the  condition  for  three  succeeding 
national  elections.  It  is  true  also  of  candidates  for 
the  United  States  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
in  over  half  the  states.  What  a  mockery  for  intelli 
gent  citizens  to  go  to  the  polls  on  election  day  and 
vote  for  a  man  who  they  know  is  secretly  committed 
to  do  whatever  the  money-powers  want  done.  The 
fact  that  the  citizens  themselves  have  unwittingly 
brought  this  condition  about  does  not  make  it  any 
the  less  a  burlesque  upon  government  by  the  people. 

"Always  have  the  ones  most  in  interest  been  most 
active  in  American  politics.  The  ones  most  in  in 
terest  today  are  the  organized  money-powers.  They 
desire  to  control  the  government  in  order  to  continue 
their  exploitation  of  the  people. 

"If  no  opposition  were  to  be  made  this  year  the 
Democrats  would  re-nominate  Bancroft,  the  Re 
publicans  would  go  through  the  form  of  a  contest  at 
their  convention  and  finally  put  forward  a  safe  old 
conservative  and  then  would  follow  a  sleepy  campaign, 
interesting  only  as  it  tended  to  show  how  fewer  voters 
were  interested  this  year  than  four  years  ago  in  a 
similar  situation.  The  outcome  of  the  election 


136  REFOLT 

would  make  no  difference  in  the  plans  of  the  money- 
powers.  Either  candidate  would  be  equally  accept 
able. 

"But  the  power  to  oppose  this  delegation  of  your 
rights  is  in  your  hands  if  you  wish  to  oppose.  The 
Revolutionist  party  will  have  candidates  for  Presi 
dential  and  Vice-presidential  electors  on  the  ballot 
in  every  state  in  the  Union.  There  will  also  be  a 
candidate  for  every  elective  office  in  every  district 
right  down  the  list  from  Congressmen  to  the  smallest 
state  and  town  offices.  This  means  an  expenditure 
of  money  running  into  the  millions  and  an  organiza 
tion  equal  in  every  way  to  that  of  the  Republican  and 
Democratic  party.  You  have  my  assurance  that  the 
money  essential  to  a  legal  presentation  of  our  cause 
is  available  and  that  it  will  be  used  to  the  best  advan 
tage. 

"America  is  in  danger.  The  autocratic  money- 
powers  don't  realize  it.  They  are  indifferent  to 
public  opinion.  They  have  exploited  America  and 
the  American  people  so  long  that  they  now  think 
themselves  rulers  by  divine  right. 

"In  many  ways  they  are  more  arrogant  than  was 
the  Kaiser  of  Germany  at  the  outbreak  of  the  World 
War.  Although  misguided,  he  had  at  least  a  semblance 
of  love  for  his  people.  But  the  American  money- 
powers  have  no  love  for  anybody  except  themselves 
and  the  dollars  that  they  control.  They  don't  even 


THE  CRADLE  OF  LIBERTY  ROCKS  AGAIN       137 

make  the  pretence  that  was  so  characteristic  of  the 
Kaiser  in  his  public  addresses. 

"They  must  be  taught  that  no  man  will  hereafter 
be  considered  rich  except  as  he  is  rich  hi  the  love  of 
his  fellow-men.  They  must  learn  a  new  standard 
of  wealth.  They  must  learn  that  the  treasures  of 
the  earth,  whether  developed  or  still  in  prospect, 
belong  to  all  the  people  and  that  no  man  or  group  of 
men  can  control  those  treasures  except  as  trustees 
for  the  benefit  of  all.  They  must  be  made  to  realize 
that  no  man  can  be  permanently  possessed  of  a  for 
tune,  that  at  most  he  is  but  the  temporary  custodian 
of  his  resources  and  that  those  to  whom  he  wills  his 
fortune  are  merely  its  keepers  for  a  little  while. 

"I  believe  in  large  fortunes,  properly  regulated  and 
used  in  a  well-organized  way  to  do  big  things.  I 
believe  in  the  opportunity  that  America  offers  to 
every  man  to  do  things  for  himself  and  for  his  fellows. 
If  he  is  a  great  organizer,  then  his  opportunity  lies 
along  the  lines  of  organization. 

"The  Revolutionist  party  platform  has  yet  to  be 
written.  It  will  be  presented,  discussed  and  adopted 
at  the  open  convention  of  our  party.  It  will,  I  firmly 
believe,  sound  the  death-knell  of  the  mis-use  and 
selfish  abuses  of  the  power  of  money,  not  only  in 
America  but  throughout  the  world. 

"The  election  of  the  Revolutionist  National  ticket 
will  bring  back  the  political  enthusiasm  and  interest 
in  affairs  that  have  built  up  America.  It  will  drive 


138  REVOLT 

indolence  out  of  politics  and  rouse  the  people  to  a 
new  and  awakened  interest  in  their  own  government. 

"It  will  turn  the  face  of  Columbia  once  more 
toward  the  rising  sun  and  delegate  to  some  future 
generation  the  problems  that  every  nation  must  meet 
face  to  face  and  answer  aright  if  they  are  to  remain 
intact  and  go  forward  as  governments.  America  has 
always  met  the  test,  because  the  people  of  this  country 
do  not  believe  in  government  by  default.  She  shall 
not  fail  in  the  present  crisis." 

The  rest  of  the  address  was  a  specific  discussion  of 
governmental  needs  and  closed  with  a  peroration 
that  is  so  familiar  to  every  school-boy  that  it  would 
be  an  intrusion  if  reprinted  here. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY   GETS  INSTRUCTIONS 

Lannigan's  report  to  his  chief  in  New  York  did  not 
serve  to  smooth  the  temper  of  that  easily  excited 
handler  of  money. 

According  to  pre-arrangement  the  report  was  de 
livered  orally  in  the  private  office  of  the  President 
of  the  Universal  Trust. 

Lannigan  finished  his  report  and  waited  for  the 
inevitable  cross  examination. 

"How  much  of  all  this  did  you  see  personally?" 
asked  Morton. 

"I  was  in  the  Hall  as  Holman  made  his  speech," 
replied  the  detective.  "I  assure  you  that  I  have  never 
heard  an  address  that  was  more  enthusiastically  re 
ceived." 

"Was  Roger  on  the  platform?"  asked  Morton. 

"He  was  and  also  the  young  woman,"  answered 
Lannigan.  "I  watched  them  particularly." 

"Why  them  any  more  than  anybody  else?"  asked 
Morton,  irritably. 

"Well!"  said  Lannigan,  slowly,  "I  dope  it  this  way. 
If  Holman  has  got  Roger  hypnotized  then  we  can't 
break  up  the  money  connection.  Further,  if  Holman 

139 


140  REFOLT 

keeps  the  girl  interested  then  she  will  hold  Roger's 
interest  even  if  Roger  himself  lost  interest  in  Holman." 

"Not  a  bad  deduction,"  conceded  Morton.  "Were 
you  able  to  draw  conclusions  from  your  observation?" 

"I  was,"  answered  Lannigan,  manifestly  pleased 
with  the  approval  of  the  other.  "I  decided  that 
Holman  has  got  them  both  keyed  up  to  an  enthusiasm 
that  will  not  be  shaken  if  he  keeps  up  his  speed  as  a 
speaker." 

"The  newspapers  got  away  from  us  entirely  as  I 
understand  it?"  inquired  Morton. 

"Oh!  they  cleaned  up  absolutely  in  the  press," 
said  the  detective.  "In  fact,  they  did  such  a  good 
job  that  I  don't  see  how  we  are  ever  going  to  keep 
them  out  of  the  papers,  no  matter  what  pressure  we 
bring  to  bear." 

"Well!  you've  got  something  to  learn  then,"  said 
Morton,  sarcastically.  "I  expect  to  clamp  down  the 
lid  very  soon,  in  my  own  way. 

"Now  here  is  the  program.  Put  one  of  your  best 
men  on  the  trail  of  Holman,  Roger  and  the  Falmouth 
woman.  Keep  me  posted  in  every  way  on  what  they 
do  and  if  possible  get  their  plans.  If  they  intend  to 
cover  the  entire  country  they  will  have  to  divide  their 
forces.  I  want  them  covered." 

"Yes!  sir,"  said  Lannigan.  "I  am  attending  to 
it.  The  Falmouth  girl  is  holding  a  meeting  this  after 
noon  and  I'm  having  it  covered." 

The  phone  rang.     Morton  looked  at  it  suspiciously. 


THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY  GETS  INSTRUCTIONS     141 

Positive  orders  were  not  to  interrupt  the  interview. 
It  rang  again. 

"I  told  my  office  to  get  me  here  on  anything  very 
important,"  suggested  Lannigan. 
"Then  it  must  be  for  you.    Answer  it !"  said  Morton. 
Lannigan   picked   up   the   phone.     "This   is   Mr. 
Morton's   private    office,"    he    said.     "Yes,    this   is 
Lannigan  talking."    His  face  took  on  a  shade  of 
annoyance.     Finally  he  said,  "All  right,  thanks,"  and 
hung  up. 

He  turned  to  the  head  of  the  Universal  Trust  Com 
pany  and  said: 

"From  my  man  in  Boston.  He  says  that  Governor 
Whitfield  of  Massachusetts  is  out  in  the  afternoon 
papers  with  a  statement  that  Holman  is  the  greatest 
leader  that  America  has  ever  produced  and  that  he 
personally  will  be  a  candidate  for  Governor  this  Fall, 
running  on  the  Revolutionist  ticket.  The  women's 
meeting  this  afternoon  filled  Mechanics  Building  to 
the  sidewalks." 

"Good  God,"  shrieked  Morton,  "Whitfield  carried 
the  state  by  100,000,  at  the  last  election.  He  is  the 
strongest  man  in  Massachusetts.  What  are  we  up 
against,  Lannigan?" 

"If  you're  asking  me,"  replied  the  detective,  la 
conically,  "I  should  say  that  we're  up  against  the 
biggest  political  battle  that's  been  staged  in  America 
since  the  second  Wilson  fight.  Anything  else  before 
I  go  back  to  the  office." 


142  REFOLT 

"No!  go  through  on  the  lines  we've  mapped  out. 
See  me  tomorrow,  at  four  o'clock." 

It  was  several  hours  later,  at  his  home  on  the 
Avenue,  that  Morton  talked  with  the  Chairman  of  the 
National  Republican  party. 

"You  get  the  situation,  Palmer?"  he  asked,  after 
a  lengthy  discussion. 

"Yes!  Mr.  Morton,"  replied  the  Chairman.  "I 
have  been 'observing  the  proposition  for  several  days. 
I'll  admit  they  are  working  fast  and  that  they  are 
putting  lots  of  zip  into  their  effort,  but  I  feel  that  it 
is  a  physical  impossibility  to  organize  a  new  party 
and  cover  every  phase  of  a  campaign." 

"Roger  is  a  wonder  at  organization,"  said  Morton. 

"Even  so,"  replied  Palmer.  "It  isn't  a  question 
of  brains  or  ability.  It  is  a  question  of  connection. 
Why,  even  in  the  Republican  party  there  are  thou 
sands  of  small  districts,  where  the  vote  is  almost  en 
tirely  against  us  where  we  don't  maintain  any  organ 
ization  at  all.  We  let  those  districts  go  by  default 
to  the  Democrats.  They,  in  turn  leave  thousands  of 
overwhelmingly  Republican  districts  to  us.  Don't 
put  up  any  fight  at  all.  It  would  be  a  waste  of  energy 
to  try  to  organize  those  districts. 

"You  see  how  hard  it  would  be  for  a  brand  new 
party  to  organize  every  district  in  the  country  when 
even  the  old  parties  pass  them  up  by  the  thousands?" 

"I  see,"  said  Morton,  "but  I'm  not  banking  on  the 
weaknesses  of  the  present  organization.  I  have  found 


THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY  GETS  INSTRUCTIONS     143 

out,  after  forty  years  in  politics,  that  the  other  man's 
strength  is  generally  at  the  maximum  and  the  only 
sure  thing  is  to  give  him  full  credit  for  knowing  what 
he's  doing." 

"That's  my  rule  exactly,"  replied  Palmer,  slightly 
nettled,  "but  there  are  certain  fundamentals  of  pol 
itics  that  never  change." 

"Well!  the  new  party  is  going  to  change  every 
fundamental,"  came  back  the  President  of  the  Uni 
versal  Trust  Co.,  "and  I  want  you  to  realize  it  just 
as  soon  as  possible.  Listen  here,  Palmer.  I  have 
gone  over  the  entire  situation  and  I've  read  Holman's 
speech.  I've  listened  to  a  report  from  the  best  ob 
server  in  America.  I'm  convinced  that  the  Revolu 
tionist  party  is  the  most  formidable  movement  that 
has  ever  sprung  up. 

"First,  they  are  absolutely  sincere  —  they  will 
attract  to  their  movement  enormous  numbers  of  the 
intellectuals  of  the  country,  the  people  who  can't 
be  bought  off. 

"In  the  second  place  they  have  unlimited  money. 
Roger  has  enough  to  swing  the  entire  organization 
and  he  is  the  most  bullheaded  man  in  America,  ex 
cept  myself. 

"In  the  third  place  they  are  going  after  the  women's 
vote  as  though  it  were  worth  going  after.  I  told  you, 
four  years  ago  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  women's 
vote.  I'm  quite  convinced  that  the  women  are  to 


144  REVOLT 

decide  this  election.  Get  busy,  at  once,  on  the  women. 
Promise  them  anything,  but  get  busy. 

"I  don't  think  I  can  come  out  openly  for  the  Re 
publican  candidate.  I  will  have  to  keep  under  cover 
as  usual.  I  will  be  satisfied  with  either  Halliday  or 
Sherman.  New  York  or  Ohio  will  swing  into  line 
on  the  old  'favorite  son'  slogan  and  we  need  both  of 
those  states. 

"The  Democrats  will  re-nominate  Bancroft.  They 
can't  do  anything  else,  but  the  fight  is  to  be  between 
Holman  and  the  Republican.  By  the  middle  of 
October  the  people  will  not  know  that  Bancroft  is  to 
be  on  the  ballot." 

"Do  you  think  it  is  going  to  be  as  bad  as  that?" 
asked  Palmer,  alarmed  for  the  first  time. 

"Palmer,"  said  Morton,  earnestly,  and  leaning  for 
ward  in  his  chair.  "I  don't  want  this  to  go  any 
further.  I've  always  trusted  you.  This  is  going  to 
be  the  hardest  battle  ever  fought  in  American  politics. 
I  doubt  if  force  will  come  to  the  front,  but  this  much 
I'm  sure  of,  if  the  Republican  party  fails  to  carry  the 
country  in  November,  there  will  be  no  country  worth 
talking  about  a  year  later.  We  have  simply  got  to 
win." 

"Can't  Holman  be  trusted  to  give  us  an  honest 
government?"  asked  Palmer,  incredulously. 

"Honest  is  only  a  relative  term,"  said  Morton. 
"His  intention  may  be  of  the  best,  but  he  is  a  dreamer, 
an  idealist,  and  can't  be  trusted  to  do  the  practical 


THE  REPUBLICAN  PARTY  GETS  INSTRUCTIONS     145 

thing.  He  will  turn  the  government  over  to  every 
fanatical  dreamer  in  America  —  every  experiment 
that  suggests  itself  will  be  tried.  Once  give  the  people 
a  taste  of  political  blood  and  they  will  be  like  tigers 
that  have  been  raised  in  captivity.  No,  Palmer,  we 
can't  take  chances.  Holman  must  be  defeated  and 
the  Republican  party  is  the  party  to  do  the  job." 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  PUBLICITY  MAN  CARRIES  ON 

The  work  of  McWilliams,  general  publicist  for  the 
Revolutionist  party,  has  never  been  equalled  in  a 
political  campaign  if  in  any  kind  of  effort  depending 
upon  public  participation.  From  the  time  when  the 
first  advertisement  appeared  announcing  the  Faneuil 
Hall  meeting  in  May  until  the  morning  of  election  in 
November  there  was  never  a  moment  when  the  pub 
licity  was  not  one  lap  ahead  of  the  actual  events. 
McWilliams  left  nothing  to  chance.  He  recognized 
his  responsibilities  and  assumed  them  in  full. 

Immediately  on  Holman's  return  from  Boston, 
with  Roger,  they  found  that  McWilliams  had  arranged 
for  a  big  outdoor  demonstration  in  Independence 
Square,  Philadelphia,  for  the  end  of  the  week.  Marta 
had  remained  in  Boston  to  put  over  a  Women's  Branch 
meeting  at  Mechanics  Building,  the  largest  auditor 
ium  in  the  city.  Although  an  afternoon  affair  it  was 
almost  as  big  a  success  as  the  meeting  of  the  night 
before.  She  returned  at  midnight  to  be  at  the  con 
ference  called  for  the  next  day. 

After  receiving  congratulations  from  Holman  and 
Roger  and  a  brief  nod  from  McWilliams,  she  entered 
into  a  discussion  of  the  plans  as  prepared  by  the  latter. 

146 


THE  PUBLICITY  MAN  CARRIES  ON  147 

The  meeting  took  place  in  the  Conference  room 
of  the  Women's  Branch  suite.  Me  Williams  handed 
a  list  of  cities  and  dates  to  Holman  and  Marta. 

"This  is  the  tentative  schedule,"  he  said.  "I  have 
neglected  to  include  New  York  because  I  don't  intend 
to  break  into  New  York  until  they  are  more  anxious 
to  welcome  us  than  they  ever  were  to  welcome  any 
presidential  candidate. 

"You  see  that  I  have  taken  care  of  June  and  July 
and  only  one  week  in  August.  I  assume  that  our 
convention  will  be  held  a  week,  maybe  two  weeks 
later  than  the  Republicans,  scheduled  for  the  first 
week  in  August  in  Baltimore. 

"It  takes  you  through  to  the  coast,  Mr.  Holman, 
over  the  northern  route  and  back  by  way  of  New 
Orleans  and  up  the  east  coast,  finishing  in  Baltimore, 
the  night  the  Republicans  open  their  convention. 
Your  trip,  Miss  Falmouth,  is  into  New  England,  across 
Northern  New  York,  then  the  Middle  West,  and 
finishing  at  St.  Louis,  the  night  when  the  Democrats 
open  their  convention.  I  shall  have  three  advance 
men  ahead  of  both  of  you,  arranging  all  the  meetings, 
halls,  bands,  and  advertisements. 

"Immediately  after  our  convention,  we  will  arrange 
to  shoot  across  the  country  in  three  different  trains, 
one  for  Mr.  Holman,  one  for  the  Vice-presidential 
candidate  and  one  for  Miss  Falmouth.  I'm  engaging 
a  train  despatcher  to  dope  out  a  schedule  that  will 
enable  us  to  have  all  three  of  the  trains  in  certain  big 


148  REVOLT 

cities  at  the  same  date,  such  as  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
Atlanta,  Buffalo,  Philadelphia,  Cleveland,  and  if 
possible  Denver  and  San  Francisco. 

"I  am  planning  two  invasions  of  New  York,  one 
late  in  September  and  one  the  Saturday  night  before 
election  in  November.  I  have  already  hired  the 
Garden  for  both  dates." 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  Madison  Square 
Garden  had  an  open  date  the  Saturday  night  before 
election?"  asked  Roger. 

"I  do,"  replied  McWilliams,  "but  it  is  closed  now." 

"It  seems  incredible  that  neither  the  Democratic 
Committee  nor  the  Republican  Committee  had  en 
gaged  it,"  suggested  Holman. 

"Funny  thing  about  political  campaigns  and  the 
methods  of  Committees.  Everybody  assumes  that 
the  other  man  is  on  the  job  all  the  time.  This 
assumption  isn't  always  correct.  The  only  sure  way 
to  find  out  is  to  investigate." 

McWilliams  waited  for  remarks.  Marta  deferred 
to  Holman.  The  latter  looked  at  the  schedule  that 
he  was  holding  in  his  hand. 

"Well!  McWilliams,"  he  said,  smiling,  "you've 
taken  a  load  off  my  shoulders.  All  that  I  have  to  do 
is  keep  my  health,  speak  when  I'm  given  the  signal 
and  go  to  bed  on  schedule  time.  I  never  thought 
running  for  President  could  be  made  so  easy." 

"It  may  be  easy,  but  I  don't  envy  you  the  job," 
answered  McWilliams,  drily. 


THE  PUBLICITY  MAN  CARRIES  ON  149 

"I  shall  try  to  keep  to  my  schedule,  also,"  said 
Marta,  "but  are  you  quite  sure  that  there  will  be 
sufficient  interest  in  the  Women's  Branch  and  in  me, 
personally,  to  make  this  schedule  a  success?" 

"Wasn't  sure  until  yesterday  afternoon,"  answered 
the  publicist,  "but  the  report  from  your  address  in 
Boston  convinced  me." 

Marta's  face  took  on  a  crimson  hue  at  the  compli 
ment  and  when  Roger  and  Holman  both  looked  at 
her  intently,  she  tried  to  cover  up  her  embarrassment 
by  saying,  "Thank  you,  Mr.  McWilliams,"  and  cough 
ing  as  though  her  throat  bothered  her. 

Holman  left  for  his  hotel  and  McWilliams  left  for 
the  Revolutionist  printing  office  to  give  orders  for  the 
three-sheet  posters  with  which  he  proposed  to  plaster 
the  bill  boards  of  the  country.  Roger  waited  to  speak 
to  Marta. 

For  three  days  this  was  the  first  time  that  they 
had  been  really  alone.  Roger  drew  his  chair  up  close 
to  Marta's. 

"Isn't  Holman  wonderful?"  he  said. 

"I  think  wonderful  is  the  only  word  that  expresses 
it.  I  sat  entranced  at  the  Faneuil  Hall  meeting," 
said  Marta,  with  feeling. 

"I  know  you  did,"  said  Roger.  "Did  you  notice 
that  I  was  looking  intently  at  you?" 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean  by  such  a  question?" 
asked  Marta,  in  surprise. 

"Pardon  me,"  said  Roger,  smiling.     "I  didn't  think 


150  REVOLT 

how  it  sounded.  I  didn't  mean  to  have  you  confirm 
the  fact  that  I  was  rude.  What  I  meant  was  this: 
Did  you  pay  such  attention  to  Holman  that  although 
I  looked  at  you  very  intently  several  times  you  didn't 
notice  it?" 

"I  don't  recall  that  I  did  anything  except  give  my 
entire  attention  to  the  address,"  replied  Marta. 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  said  Roger.  "It  shows 
how  well  he  talked  and  it  also  shows  another  thing 
that  I  have  been  worried  about." 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Marta,  anxiously. 

"You  couldn't  have  noticed  that  a  man  in  the  centre 
of  the  hall  was  watching  you  closely,  nearly  all  the 
tune  of  Dan's  speech." 

Marta  shook  her  head  negatively. 

"It  was  Lannigan,  the  chief  of  staff  of  the  Universal's 
secret  service.  Quite  a  compliment  to  have  Lannigan 
personally  on  the  job.  He  had  on  a  disguise  that 
would  do  credit  to  a  movie  detective,  but  I  had  seen 
him  wearing  it  on  previous  occasions,  so  it  meant 
nothing  to  recognize  him. 

"I  didn't  intend  to  bring  the  matter  up,  but  with 
this  schedule  to  be  carried  out,  I  thought  you  ought 
to  know  that  every  move  you  make  from  now  to  the 
end  of  the  campaign  will  be  watched." 

"You  mean  that  I  am  under  surveillance  all  the 
time?"  asked  Marta. 

"Not  only  you,  but  every  one  of  us,"  said  Roger. 
"It  is  one  of  the  methods  of  my  father.  I  doubt  if  he 


THE  PUBLICITY  MAN  CARRIES  ON  151 

would  attempt  anything  that  would  put  you  or  Holman 
in  danger,  but  he  must  of  necessity  delegate  work  of 
this  kind  to  a  peculiar  type  of  men.  They  cannot 
always  be  depended  upon  to  be  careful." 

"What  would  you  suggest  for  me  to  do?"  asked 
Marta.  "Give  up  my  schedule?" 

"Certainly  not !"  replied  Roger,  decisively.  "We  are 
going  through  on  every  line.  But  I  want  you  to  be 
careful." 

He  leaned  across  the  desk  and  put  his  hand  over 
Marta's.  Gripping  it  firmly,  he  looked  into  her  eyes. 

"I  don't  want  anything  to  happen  to  you,  Marta. 
Promise  me  you  will  be  careful." 

"I  promise  you,  Roger,  that  I  will  be  very  careful," 
answered  the  head  of  the  Women's  Branch. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  they  had  addressed  each 
other  by  their  first  names.  It  was  the  first  real  in 
timation  to  Marta  that  Roger  Morton  was  in  love 
with  her. 

Suddenly  he  stood  up. 

"Work  to  do!"  he  said,  enthusiastically.  "May 
I  go  to  lunch  with  you,  at  one  o'clock?" 

"You  may,"  replied  Marta,  but  in  her  tone  could 
be  heard  clearly  by  one  who  understood,  "I  love  you." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  DEMOCRATIC  CONVENTION  DISINTEGRATES 

The  Democratic  Convention  was  held  in  St.  Louis, 
opening  on  Monday  afternoon,  the  last  week  in  July. 
Supplied  with  unlimited  money  an  effort  was  made 
to  rouse  enthusiasm  for  the  convention. 

Every  aid  that  had  usually  brought  the  old  party 
to  a  point  bordering  on  boiling  had  been  arranged  for 
by  the  party  leaders.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to 
run  stories  in  the  press  to  the  effect  that  Bancroft's 
re-nomination  might  be  contested  and  that  Groveland 
as  the  vice-presidential  candidate  was  surely  to  be 
supplanted  by  a  newer  and  more  virile  democrat. 

But  the  old  guard  knew  better.  They  knew  that 
it  was  to  be  the  regular,  cut-and-dried  affair  of  former 
years.  They  also  kne:v  what  St.  Louis  was  like  in 
the  last  week  of  July  and  they  were  prepared  for 
listlessness.  They  were  not  to  be  disappointed  in 
their  convention.  It  was  to  be  Democratically  regu 
lar  in  every  sense  of  the  term. 

But  that  St.  Louis  was  to  be  denied  a  political 
sensation  was  not  agreed  unanimously.  For  weeks 
advertisements  had  been  appearing  in  the  St.  Louis 
papers  reading,  "Revolt,  wait  for  July  27.  Marta 
Falmouth  will  speak  at  Missouri  Auditorium." 

152 


THE  DEMOCRATIC  CONVENTION  DISINTEGRATES  153 

Marta's  itinerary  in  the  middle  west  had  only  St. 
Louis  as  its  objective.  Every  effort  on  the  part  of 
the  Revolutionist  publicity  department  was  made 
with  just  one  object  hi  view,  to  put  the  Revolution 
ists  across  on  the  opening  night  of  the  Democratic 
convention  and  to  share  evenly  with  the  old  party 
in  the  publicity.  Behind  the  plan  was  all  the  brains 
and  enthusiasm  that  McWilliams  could  muster  and 
that  Roger  Morton  could  suggest.  Marta's  receptions 
at  every  point  were  all  telegraphed  to  every  paper  in 
St.  Louis  each  night.  The  telegraphic  charges  were 
all  prepaid.  McWilliams  took  no  chances. 

As  the  opening  day  drew  nearer,  McWilliams 
shifted  his  plans.  He  jumped  to  St.  Louis  for  the 
opening  night,  four  days  in  advance  of  the  date,  after 
wiring  Herman's  special  train  in  the  South  to  cancel 
regular  schedule  and  go  to  St.  Louis. 

The  advertisements  in  St.  Louis  were  changed  to 
read  "Revolt  —  Dan  Holman  will  speak  with  Marta 
Falmouth  at  Missouri  Auditorium,  July  syth.  Pub 
lic  admitted  free." 

Rooms  were  engaged  for  Marta  at  the  Statler  and 
for  Holman  at  the  New  Planters.  McWilliams  also 
arranged  for  a  cordon  of  police  to  keep  the  crowds 
in  check.  By  demanding  500  police  and  tendering 
payment  for  their  services  in  advance  he  added  to  the 
intense  interest  already  manifest  on  every  hand. 
Crowds  follow  crowds. 


TJA  RErOLT 

St  Louis  has  «een  many  demoastratio*is,  but  never 
one  that  appmnlmd  the  RcmhrtionisT  mrrting  at 
Missouri  AiMiSiMiAMii  Carnival  Square  had  just 
been  implied  by  the  City.  Nearly  a  mfle  from  the 
Qxrvention  Hafl,  where  the  fairhfal  Democratic  del 
egates  were  supposed  to  be  gathering,  there  could  be 
no  mistaking  the  reason  lor  the  crowd.  They  were 
iiot  drawn  by  the  cafl  of  the  Democracy.  McWOHams 
had  staged  Mi  performance  too  carefully.  The  vast 
outpouring  of  the  people  of  the  South  Western  Me- 
liiUMiii  •  ii  in  iiiMH  i  In  Mil  riH  nf  Ilii  ff  nrnliitinni  t 1 

When  the  gml  fefl  at  the  Democratic  Convention 
at  seven  o'clock,  only  half  die  delegates  were  in  their 
sots.  At  eight  o'clock,  after  a  lengthy  speech  of 
•dome  by  the  Democratic  Mayor  of  St.  Louis  there 
were  less  than  one-fourth  of  the  delegates  remaining. 

The  Chairman  started  to  introduce  somebody,  but 
to  thb  day  nobody  knows  who  it  was.  Some  delegate 
who  wanted  to  be  regular  and  yet  who  wanted  to  see 
what  was  gomg  on  at  Missouri  Auditorium  stood  up 
I/.  •„.:  v:'_*.  i.:.';  -Lv;-:  '.  '.-:'.: .*.  '.:'  •,.":••;: 

**State  it !"  yefled  the  Chairman. 

"No  quorum  present,"  shrieked  back  the  delegate. 

By  the  time  the  clerk  had  started  to  count  those 
seated  on  the  floor  to  determine  the  soundness  of  the 
delegate's  contention  die  exodus  from  the  hall  had 
begun.  There  were  less  then  fifty  delegates  in  their 

v. -.  v    '-  '  •'  '   :. :.  '  -. '.  :". '  . '. :.  •': ''. 

Before  be  could  report  somebody  shoutfd,  "Move 


THE  DEMOCRATIC  O?AT£AT*XV  DI  SI  \TBSHATSS  155 

ire  adjourn/*  and  •Mm!  ••iliaf  for  tike  putting  of 
tbe  question  tbe  itBttining  delegates  arae  and  started 
:::  tbe  foot 

At  *i»»M»8  Al  llfi  *  m  pandemonium  bad  broken 
loose.  Vast  mobs  of  people  surged  through  the  Square 
on  which  the  hall  fronted.  From  the  open  windows 


of  the  bal  could  be  heard  the  wid  fcfUiJMM.  that 
punctuated  Marta's  crisp  sentences  as  she  ffriilifl  lor 
the  women  of  America  to  swing  to  tbe  party  of  free- 
don,  tbe  party  that  stood  for  liberty  tad  righteous 
ness,  Her  long  trip  and  the  speech-making  bad  en 
abled  her  to  round  out  every  sentence  in  her  address. 

Knowing  that  Hoknan  was  to  follow,  she  arranged 
to  talk  only  forty-rive  minutes  and  i*nmptty  aft  8-45. 
she  dosed  her  address  amid  a  thunderous  applause 
that  could  not  be  quelled  for  several  minutes. 

When  Hoiman  arose  tbe  applause  in  the  hall  was 
answered  by  echoing  waves  from  the  outside.  He 
anally  quieted  down  the  crowd  and  said.  "I  have  just 
learned  that  the  Democratic  Convention  has  adjourned 
because  of  no  quorum." 

Laughter  and  noise  broke  loose  at  this. 

"All  the  good  Democracy  is  over  here,  Dan." 
shouted  some  stentorian  voiced  special  pleader  from 
the  balcony.  Tbe  crowd  waited  for  Hohnan's  answer. 

"We  have  the  best  part  of  the  Republican  party 
with  us  and  that  is  the  head  of  the  elephant,  the 
brains.  We  also  haw  the  best  party  of  the  Demo 
cratic  party,  the  hind  leys  of  the  donkey,  the  part  that 


156  REVOLT 

kicks.  With  the  brains  of  the  Republicans  and  the 
kick  of  the  Democrats,  we  will  go  through  to  success 
in  November." 

After  getting  his  audience  into  the  right  mood  and 
telling  them  he  would  be  obliged  to  speak  outside 
later  to  the  overflow  audience,  he  went  after  the  two 
big  parties  without  gloves. 

Sticking  closely  to  the  lines  of  his  Faneuil  Hall 
speech,  he  pleaded  with  his  hearers  to  stand  with  the 
Revolutionist  party,  to  wake  up  themselves  and  their 
neighbors,  to  throw  off  indolence  and  to  save  America. 

No  man,  regardless  of  how  often  he  had  addressed 
audiences,  could  fail  to  be  deeply  moved  at  the  re 
ception  that  followed. 

As  Holman  left  the  hall  to  take  the  platform  out 
side  to  make  an  open-air  address,  he  knew  that  the 
battle  was  to  be  between  the  Revolutionists  and  the 
Republican  party.  He  knew  that  in  the  press  of  the 
country  on  the  following  morning  the  Democracy 
and  its  convention  would  be  a  joke  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people. 

"A  good  cause,  a  good  organization  and  good  pub 
licity,"  he  thought.  "What  a  wonderful  combination 
when  working  properly." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

ROGER  AND  MARTA  UNDERSTAND  EACH  OTHER 

Although  there  was  a  spontaneous  attempt  to  keep 
the  Revolutionist  enthusiasm  alive  until  the  early 
hours  of  the  morning,  Holman  gracefully  avoided  it 
and  was  closeted  in  his  rooms  at  the  New  Planters 
at  one  o'clock. 

He  was  physically  exhausted  and  in  dire  need  of 
rest.  For  the  first  time  in  his  public  life  he  had  be 
gun  to  feel  the  strain.  He  closed  the  door  of  his  room 
with  a  sigh  of  relief.  The  phone  rang  as  he  was  tak 
ing  off  his  hat. 

"Is  that  you,  Dan?"  came  from  the  other  end,  as  he 
answered  the  ring. 

"What  there  is  left  of  me,  Roger,"  answered  Holman, 
"where  you  talking  from,  New  York?" 

"No,  I'm  at  Statlers,"  answered  Roger.  "I  came 
in  by  air,  an  hour  ago.  Couldn't  resist  being  here 
and,  then,  I  wanted  to  talk  to  you  and  Miss  Falmouth 
and  McWilliams  regarding  Baltimore.  Can  you  come 
over  here  or  will  we  three  come  over  there?" 

"I'll  be  over  there  as  soon  as  I  can  get  there," 
answered  Holman,  resignedly,  reaching  for  his  hat. 

The  conference  didn't  last  long.  It  merely  in- 
157 


158  REVOLT 

volved  the  schedule  preceding  the  Republican  con 
vention  at  Baltimore. 

"I  would  like  permission  to  change  the  plans  at 
Baltimore,"  said  McWilliams.  "The  work  tonight 
was  perfect.  We  have  outplayed  them  all  along  the 
line,  but  I'm  quite  sure  that  the  Republican  con 
vention  will  be  an  entirely  different  affair  from  this 
one. 

"One  thing  that  I  always  figure  on  in  politics,  that 
every  time  you  do  something  for  yourself  you  stir  up 
the  opposition. 

"Tonight  we  have  apparently  eliminated  the  Dem 
ocratic  party  as  a  factor.  Our  demonstration  and 
their  lack  of  one  will  make  them  look  cheap  in  the 
morning  papers  all  over  the  country.  Even  the 
Associated  Press  story  has  a  slam  at  them. 

"That  doesn't  mean  that  we  are  to  have  everything 
our  own  way  at  Baltimore.  It  simply  means  that 
the  opposition  has  thrown  over  the  Democrats  and 
is  going  to  concentrate  on  the  Republicans.  It 
means  a  harder  job  for  us  because  there  are  millions 
of  so-called  conservative  Democrats  who  will  jump 
to  the  Republican  candidate.  The  opposition  is  be 
ginning  to  solidify  for  the  first  time. 

"Some  real  politician  has  taken  hold  and  from  now 
we  will  have  to  fight  harder  than  ever." 

"I  guess  the  Governor  has  put  the  Democracy  on 
the  toboggan  if  your  surmise  of  conditions  is  correct," 
suggested  Roger. 


ROGER  AND  MARTA  UNDERSTAND  EACH  OTHER     159 

"I'm  certain  of  my  analysis,"  continued  McWill- 
iams,"  and  that  is  why  I  want  to  change  tactics  at 
Baltimore.  They  will  open  their  convention  with  a 
rush.  All  that  we  could  get  if  we  tried  to  compete 
with  them  on  their  opening  night  would  be  an  even 
break.  That  would  mean  a  very  weak  story  in  the 
papers.  We  would  be  heralded  everywhere  as  having 
fizzled. 

"So  my  proposition  is  to  let  them  have  every  thing 
they  can  get  out  of  their  opening  night.  When  it 
fails  of  comparison  with  some  counter-attraction  it 
will  not  look  nearly  so  enthusiastic.  In  fact,  an 
attempt  on  our  part  to  compete  would  serve  to  furnish 
enthusiasm  to  their  delegates. 

"By  letting  them  play  out  their  entire  string  on  the 
first  two  days  we  will  come  into  the  city  fresh  and  kill 
off  the  wild  acclaim  that  they  think  will  follow  the 
nomination  of  Halliday  or  Sherman.  One  of  them  is 
sure  to  be  chosen. 

"I've  already  extended  my  option  on  the  hall  and 
continued  my  contract  with  the  bands  and  all  the 
necessary  organizations.  This  has  been  done  so  that 
no  intimation  of  our  change  will  be  known  until  it  is 
too  late  to  shift  their  arrangements." 

"What  you  want  of  me?"  asked  Holman,  sleepily. 

"Want  you  to  concur,"  said  McWilliams. 

"Well  let  me  say  this  now,"  said  Holman,  "and  it 
goes  for  the  rest  of  this  campaign.  I  leave  all  strategy 
all  plans,  all  schedules  to  somebody  else.  I  don't  care 


160  REVOLT 

if  you  put  me  into  the  movies,  or  send  me  over  the 
vaudeville  circuit  or  to  London  to  make  speeches. 
Do  anything  you  want,  but  please  don't  keep  me 
awake  after  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  the  day 
after  election.  Good  night!" 

The  smile  on  his  face  showed  that  Holman  was  still 
in  good  humor  but  the  weariness  in  his  voice  showed 
that  it  was  no  joke  about  his  being  tired. 

After  Holman  had  gone,  Roger  turned  to  Marta 
and  McWilliams  and  said: 

"Tell  me  honestly,  are  either  of  you  doing  more 
work  than  you  can  stand?" 

"Mr.  Morton,"  said  McWilliams,  "if  you  knew 
publicity  the  way  I  do  you  would  never  ask  such  a 
question. 

"It  is  an  obsession  with  me.  In  fact,  publicity  is 
a  mental  disease.  It  grows  upon  a  man.  He  eats, 
sleeps  and  drinks  it.  No  drug  fiend  is  half  so  addicted 
to  his  drug  as  is  a  publicist  to  his  profession. 

"I've  been  in  the  game  for  thirty  years,  and  this  is 
the  first  time  I  ever  was  given  carte  blanche  in  a 
political  campaign.  There  has  always  been  some 
restraint,  somebody  who  wanted  to  stand  strong  at 
headquarters  who  insisted  on  changing  things.  In 
variably  these  changes  were  silly  and  merely  served 
to  nettle  me  personally  or  change  the  coherence  of  the 
general  plans  so  that  everybody  was  more  or  less  up 
set. 

"I  only  hope  that  no  such  meddling  will  take  place 


ROGER  AND  MARTA  UNDERSTAND  EACH  OTHER     161 

in  our  organization  as  we  begin  to  grow  in  popularity. 
These  meddlers  never  show  up  when  things  look  doubt 
ful  or  a  cause  is  likely  to  prove  unpopular.  They 
only  get  busy  when  a  cause  is  on  the  popular  wave  or 
when  success  seems  imminent." 

Roger  leaned  forward  and  put  his  hand  on  McWill- 
iams'  shoulder. 

"McWilliams,"  he  said.  "I  have  learned  a  lot 
about  publicity  since  May.  I  have  never  seen  you 
at  a  loss.  The  Revolutionist  party  depends  upon 
you  to  keep  its  name  prominently  and  favorably  in 
the  public  mind.  You  will  go  through  to  the  finish 
without  hindrance  from  anybody." 

Turning  to  Marta,  he  said,  "Will  you  and  Mr.  Mc 
Williams  join  me  in  a  little  bite  in  the  dining  room?" 

McWilliams  asked  to  be  excused  and  Marta  and 
Roger  had  a  light  supper,  down  stairs. 

Although  they  had  seen  each  other  quite  frequently 
during  the  two  summer  months  the  grinding  schedule 
of  Marta's  organization  and  speech-making  trip  and 
the  need  for  Roger  to  organize  every  state  in  the 
Union  for  the  purpose  of  having  delegates  ready  for 
the  Revolutionist  Convention  had  made  their  re 
lations  so  business-like  that  anything  even  approach 
ing  sentiment  had  been  lacking. 

After  ordering  their  supper,  Roger  leaned  forward : 

"You  are  quite  tired,  Marta,"  he  said. 

"Only  a  little  bit,"  answered  Marta. 

"I  came  out  here  to  see  you  and  for  no  other  pur- 


162  REVOLT 

pose,"  said  Roger.  "I  don't  know  whether  we  are 
being  watched  or  not.  We  probably  are,  but  I  want 
you  to  tell  me  one  thing  before  I  leave  tonight  for 
New  York." 

"Yes?"  she  said,  encouragingly. 

"Do  you  love  me  well  enough  to  marry  me  even  if 
this  campaign  should  fail?"  he  asked,  tensely. 

"I'm  glad  you  asked  me,  Roger,"  said  Marta, 
simply.  "I  love  you.  There  are  no  qualifications 
on  it.  I  shall  marry  you  the  day  after  election 
whether  Holman  wins  or  not." 

"You  have  made  me  very  happy,  my  dear,"  said 
the  young  millionaire. 

"I  am  happy  beyond  words,"  said  Marta. 

Thus  was  plighted  the  troth  of  Roger  Adams 
Morton  and  Marta  Falmouth.  If  there  was  the 
element  of  romance  lacking  in  it,  at  least  there  was  an 
element  of  frankness  and  directness  about  it  that 
lifted  it  out  of  the  commonplace. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MORTON  SENIOR  IS  PLEASED 

That  McWilliams'  diagnosis  of  the  political  situa 
tion,  in-so-far  as  it  was  to  be  developed  at  Baltimore, 
was  fairly  accurate,  was  manifested  early  on  Monday. 

It  was  in  the  Monday  morning  papers  that  the 
Republican  National  Committee  received  its  first 
intimation  of  any  shift  of  plans  on  the  part  of  the 
Revolutionists.  Carrying  page  advertisements  on 
Sunday  in  all  the  Baltimore  papers  to  the  effect  that 
there  was  to  be  a  mass  meeting  in  Maryland  Hall  at 
which  Dan  Holmanand  Marta  Falmouth  would  speak, 
McWilliams  had  forced  the  Republicans  to  go  ahead 
with  their  plans  for  a  counter  demonstration  at  their 
Convention  Hall. 

At  midnight,  McWilliams  gave  page  advertisements 
for  Monday  morning  announcing  that  "the  Revolution 
ist  meeting,  scheduled  for  this  evening  has  been  post 
poned."  That  was  all.  Nothing  was  said  about  a 
new  date.  No  explanation  was  given.  So  far  as  the 
Revolutionists  were  concerned  the  statement  could 
allow  any  speculation  whatever.  This  was  just  the 
object  that  McWilliams  had  in  mind  —  to  create 
comment  regardless  of  whether  it  was  reasonable  or 
not. 

163 


164  REVOLT 

Even  McWilliams'  vivid  imagination  didn't  go  so 
far  as  to  expect  that  John  Paine  Morton  would  person 
ally  respond  to  meet  the  condition  created,  but  such 
was  the  case. 

The  Chairman  of  the  Republican  National  Com 
mittee,  after  vainly  trying  to  reason  things  out 
satisfactorily,  couldn't  stand  the  strain.  He  could 
meet  things  that  were,  but  to  see  a  movement  against 
which  he  had  been  making  plans  for  a  week  suddenly 
disappear  was  something  beyond  his  skill.  He 
couldn't  fight  things  that  were  not.  So  he  long- 
distanced  the  chief.  There  was  nothing  else  for  him 
to  do. 

"Hello!  Mr.  Morton,"  he  said,  after  getting  his 
connection,  "this  is  Palmer,  at  Baltimore.  The 
Revolutionist  out  fa  have  postponed  their  meeting 
for  tonight.  All  the  papers  carrying  a  page  announce 
ment." 

"Got  the  Baltimore  morning  papers  all  in  front  of 
me,"  came  back  Morton,  crisply.  "Not  a  word  about 
postponement.  Full  page  ad  on  the  meeting." 

"You've  got  only  the  early  train  edition.  The  page 
was  shifted  after  midnight,"  answered  Palmer.  "I 
don't  know  what  their  sudden  change  of  plans  means 
but  you've  got  to  come  on  and  help  me  straighten 
things  out." 

"Leave  here  at  noon,"  said  Morton,  sharply. 
"Holman,  the  girl  and  Roger  were  all  in  good  health 


MORTON  SENIOR  IS  PLEASED  165 

at  midnight.  Special  report  from  all  three.  Under 
stood  that  they  were  all  headed  for  Baltimore." 

"That's  where  they  fooled  all  of  us,"  replied  Palmer. 
"Any  suggestion  before  you  get  here?" 

"Go  through  according  to  schedule,"  shouted 
Morton.  "Just  because  the  Revolutionists  quit  cold 
in  their  advertised  plans  is  no  reason  why  the  Re 
publican  party  will  not  keep  faith  with  the  public. 
Tell  the  presiding  officer  to  weave  that  thought  into 
his  speech.  Hire  all  the  Union  bands  there  are  in 
Baltimore  and  Washington.  Give  'em  Hell!  I'll 
see  you  at  the  Roosevelt  House  as  soon  as  I  can  reach 
it." 

McWilliams  learned  of  the  elder  Morton's  arrival 
within  three  minutes  after  that  distinguished  financier 
had  reached  Baltimore.  The  information  came  to 
his  room  in  the  American  House  by  phone  from  a 
friendly  New  York  newspaper  man  who  was  covering 
the  station  for  his  paper. 

He  turned  to  Roger,  who  was  with  him  going  over 
the  plans  for  the  postponed  meeting. 

"Your  father's  in  town,  Mr.  Morton,"  he  said, 
smiling. 

"Great  work,  McWilliams!"  said  Roger,  enthusias 
tically.  "It  takes  these  strategic  retreats  to  bring 
'em  to  their  feet.  The  Governor  has  never  attended 
a  national  convention  in  his  life  before." 

"Your  father  has  never  been  in  a  real  fight,  before," 


166  REVOLT 

said  McWilliams,  and  then  they  returned  to  their 
plans. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  Republican  demonstra 
tion  on  the  opening  night  of  the  party's  22nd  quad 
rennial  convention  was  well  conducted.  All  that 
flags  and  cheering  sections  and  bands  of  music  and 
banners,  and  oratory  that  put  Lincoln  and  Roosevelt 
and  McKinley  and  Garfield  and  Grant  on  newer  and 
higher  pedestals  than  they  had  ever  yet  occupied, 
could  do,  was  done  and  done  well.  Not  a  punctuation 
mark  was  missing.  Not  a  trick  was  left  in  the  bag 
that  makes  conventions  successful. 

Goaded  to  their  utmost  and  knowing  that  the 
wealth  of  the  world  as  centered  in  one  personality  was 
watching  from  the  side  door  of  the  platform,  the  wheel- 
horses  of  the  old  party  pulled  and  tugged  and  sweated 
mentally  and  physically  to  do  a  fitting  job.  Morton's 
unstinted  praise,  given  to  a  select  coterie  of  the  lead 
ers  in  the  early  morning  hours,  fell  on  willing  ears. 
The  old  party  was  once  again  going  to  save  the  Nation 
as  it  had  saved  it  in  '65  and  in  '98  and  on  numerous 
other  occasions.  No  mention  was  made  of  the  sal 
vation  of  the  Nation  in  1918,  under  Wilson,  but  that 
was  only  a  minor  trouble,  so  why  talk  about  it? 

Tuesday's  press  was  filled  with  the  news  of  the 
Republican  convention.  The  papers,  having  noth 
ing  else  to  talk  about,  gave  out  interviews  in  which 
the  Revolutionists  were  referred  to  as  "the  has  beens." 
Several  stories  turned  around  the  thought  that  the 


MORTON  SENIOR  IS  PLEASED  167 

barrel  had  run  dry  or  that  there  had  been  a  fight  be 
tween  Holman  and  Roger  Morton.  One  paper  de 
clared  emphatically  that  it  had  been  only  a  family 
quarrel  anyhow  and  that  Roger  and  his  father  were 
now  reconciled  and  that  there  would  be  no  more 
Revolutionist  party.  The  dope  ran  in  a  steady  stream 
all  day  Tuesday. 

The  work  of  the  Republican  convention  was  rushed 
along.  Without  a  dissenting  voice  a  conservative, 
safe  platform  was  adopted.  It  was  conservative  in 
the  sense  that  it  conserved  the  energy  of  anybody 
who  might  take  the  trouble  to  read  it.  It  was  safe 
in  the  sense  that  it  committed  the  party  to  no  action 
whatever  on  anything  at  any  time.  It  eulogized 
everything  from  the  sermon  on  the  Mount  to  Gray's 
Elegy  and  touched  lightly  on  the  Magna  Charta. 
It  was  called  by  the  Republican  leader,  who  read  it  in 
sonorous  tones  to  the  delegates,  "A  document  that 
will  live  in  history  as  the  finest  achievement  of  any 
deliberative  body  ever  assembled  in  the  name  of 
human  liberty." 

Morton,  Senior,  was  so  pleased  with  himself  that 
he  left  for  New  York  on  Tuesday  afternoon.  His 
parting  words  to  the  Republican  National  Chairman 
were,  "Never  lower  the  flag,  Palmer!  It  takes  brains 
and  experience  to  win  political  battles.  We  have 
put  these  Revolutionists  where  they  belong.  Now 
go  back  and  finish  your  convention." 

But  the  Chairman,  after  saying  "Good  bye,"  shook 


168  REVOLT 

his  head  as  if  he  was  in  doubt.  He  tossed  all  night 
long  in  his  bed  and  waited  anxiously  for  the  arrival 
of  the  morning  papers  at  his  rooms.  He  had  been 
in  campaigns  before  and  he  was  not  without  some  po 
litical  sense. 

But  versed  as  he  was  in  political  battles  and  ac 
quainted  with  surprises,  he  had  never  been  jolted  so 
severely  before  as  he  was  when  the  Wednesday  morn 
ing  papers  finally  reached  him. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

CAME  A  SURPRISE  TO  BALTIMORE 

The  surprise  that  came  to  Palmer,  the  Chairman 
of  the  Republican  National  Committee,  as  he  scanned 
the  Baltimore  morning  papers  was  shared  to  a  more 
or  less  degree  by  others  of  political  influence  in  other 
places  as  well  as  in  Baltimore. 

McWilliams  had  not  confined  his  efforts  to  Balti 
more.  In  addition  to  front  page  space  used  lavishly 
in  all  the  local  papers,  morning  and  evening  editions, 
he  had  gone  his  usual  full  page  limit  on  the  best  avail 
able  inside  pages.  To  awaken  still  further  interest 
and  insure  a  big  news  story  in  all  the  evening  papers, 
he  had  gone  into  all  the  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 
Washington  morning  papers,  knowing  that  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  advertisements  in  the  outside  press 
would  bring  sufficient  pressure  to  bear  upon  the  Bal 
timore  editors  to  compel  a  story.  His  expectation 
of  probable  results  was  more  than  borne  out  by  the 
actual  results. 

The  meeting  of  the  Revolutionists,  simply  by  reason 
of  the  postponement,  the  discussion  following  it  and 
the  revival  took  on  a  significance  that  it  could  never 
have  assumed  had  the  first  schedule  been  adhered  to. 

169 


170  REVOLT 

The  announcement,  couched  in  direct  phrase  and 
printed  in  plain  gothic  type  with  liberal  white  space 
around  it,  stated  that  the  Revolutionist  meeting, 
postponed  from  Monday  night,  would  be  held 
Wednesday. 

To  this  plain  statement,  as  an  explanation,  in  the 
outside  papers,  was  carried  the  heading,  "In  order 
that  the  public  may  be  correctly  informed." 

By  this  expedient  McWilliams  was  not  only  calling 
attention  to  the  meeting  itself  and  getting  so  much 
added  assurance  of  local  interest,  but  he  was  giving 
notice  to  every  editor  in  New  York,  Philadelphia 
and  Washington  that  the  readers  of  his  paper  would 
look  for  an  account  of  the  meeting  in  the  Thursday 
morning  issue.  There  are  several  ways  of  getting 
news  into  the  papers.  McWilliams  adopted  the  surest 
way. 

Under  the  circumstances  it  is  not  strange  that  the 
nomination  of  Halliday,  New  York's  favorite  Repub 
lican  Son,  for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States  on 
the  third  ballot  was  superseded  in  political  interest 
in  the  news  columns  of  the  American  press  by  the 
account  of  the  Revolutionist  meeting. 

Holman  and  Marta  Falmouth  were  the  only  speak 
ers,  but  Ex-Governor  Kendrick  of  Maryland,  a  liberal 
Republican,  had  called  on  Holman  at  his  hotel  late 
in  the  afternoon  and  literally  demanded  that  he  be 
allowed  to  preside.  McWilliams  and  Roger  were 
both  present  at  the  interview.  Coming  into  the  big 


CAME  A  SURPRISE  TO  BALTIMORE  171 

reception  room  of  Holman's  suite,  the  Ex-Governor 
made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  trio. 

Merely  nodding  to  Roger  and  McWilliams,  he 
grasped  Holman  by  the  hand  and  shook  it  warmly. 

"You  haven't  changed  a  bit  since  we  met  at  Denver 
in  the  campaign  of  '32,"  he  said.  "We  were  on  op 
posite  sides  at  that  time,  Holman,  or  at  least  we 
thought  so.  I  guess  we  were  both  on  the  same  side 
and  didn't  know  it.  Tonight  I  would  like  to  stand 
with  you  and  let  everybody  know  it." 

"Only  two  speakers  scheduled,  Governor,"  replied 
Holman,  "and  besides,  you  don't  know  what  the 
Revolutionist  movement  really  means  yet." 

"That  so?"  answered  the  Ex-Governor,  sarcastically. 
"What  you  been  handing  us  about  it,  a  lot  of  bunk?" 

"Certainly  not,"  answered  Holman,  smiling  good 
naturedly,  "I  didn't  mean  that  the  movement  hadn't 
fairly  crystallized.  What  I  wanted  to  convey  was 
that  we  have  held  no  convention,  drafted  no  platform 
and  that  we  have  asked  no  so-called  public  men  to 
join  our  movement.  I  know  the  risk  I'm  assuming 
personally,  so  do  all  those  who  are  responsible  for  the 
movement  to  date. 

"But  a  man  of  your  standing  may  not  agree  on 
everything  we  intend  to  promulgate.  I  will  not  ask 
you  to  take  chances  with  your  future,  maybe  your 
life,  until  after  the  issues  are  absolutely  drawn  and 
you  know  just  what  they  are." 

The  Ex-Governor  had  listened,  with  a  smile  on  his 


172  REVOLT 

face.  As  Holman  finished  his  visitor  looked  him 
squarely  in  the  eye.  The  smile  had  gone.  A  look 
of  determination  had  supplanted  it. 

"Holman,"  said  the  Ex-Governor,  "you  may  not 
know  it,  but  I  am  an  Ex-Governor  of  this  State  and 
outside  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  simply 
because  I  did  my  own  thinking  and  assumed  to  govern 
my  own  rule  of  conduct.  You  are  on  the  right  track. 
I  want  to  help  you  in  every  way.  All  the  people  of 
Maryland  are  not  sure  whether  I  am  honest  or  not. 
Some  of  them  think  I  am  a  coward.  Political  stories 
—  viciously  spread  —  are  hard  to  offset. 

"If  I  preside  at  your  meeting  tonight,  I  will  not  say 
fifty  words,  but  I  will  prove  to  the  people  of  this  State 
that  I  am  honest  and  that  I  am  not  a  coward.  You've 
got  to  do  this,  Holman.  You've  simply  got  to  do  this." 

So  at  eight  o'clock  that  evening,  as  the  band  of  250 
pieces  played  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  and  the 
sweltering  thousands  of  Baltimorians  who  had  been 
waiting  patiently  for  the  signal  ever  since  four  o'clock, 
stood  in  the  vast  hall  where  the  Revolutionist  meet 
ing  took  place  they  were  not  only  surprised  but  pleased 
to  see  the  handsome  Ex- Governor  of  their  state  walk 
to  the  front  of  the  platform  through  a  crowd  that  took 
up  every  inch  of  space  in  the  rear  of  the  few  seats  re 
served  at  the  very  front. 

Marta's  address  was  magnetic,  as  usual.  Her  en 
forced  rest  of  two  days  had  done  wonders  for  her  voice. 
Several  new  points  were  added  to  her  appeal  to  the 


CAME  A  SURPRISE  TO  BALTIMORE  173 

women.  One  point  that  brought  forth  unstinted 
applause  and  laughter  was  made  at  the  expense  of 
Halliday. 

"The  Republican  party,  assembled  in  convention 
in  Baltimore,  today,"  she  said,  "reiterates  its  confi 
dence  in  the  women  of  the  country.  It  points  with 
pride  to  the  fact  that  a  Republican  Congress  passed 
the  Susan  B.  Anthony  amendment.  This  is  true, 
but  it  is  also  true  that  a  group  of  re-actionary  Repub 
lican  senators  in  the  preceding  Democratic  Congress 
had  killed  the  amendment  so  that  the  Republican 
party  might  pass  it,  when  they  came  into  power. 
They  wanted  to  annex  the  Suffrage  movement. 

"It  was  killed  between  election  day  and  the  con 
vening  of  the  new  Congress.  And  Senator  Halliday's 
vote  killed  it.  His  vote  would  have  passed  it.  This 
was  twenty-one  years  ago,  my  friends,  and  the  Senator, 
today,  received  the  nomination  for  President  on  the 
Republican  ticket  and  wants  the  women  of  the 
country  to  vote  for  him. 

"The  women  of  America  are  thinking  women. 
They  trust  only  their  friends.  Any  public  man  who 
voted  against  woman  suffrage  until  it  became  an  es 
tablished  fact  in  spite  of  him  is  not  entitled  to  the 
vote  of  any  woman.  He  has  forfeited  the  vote  of 
women  forever." 

This  little  bit  of  personal  history  of  Senator  Halliday 
long  forgotten,  was  one  of  the  leading  features  of  the 
newspaper  story  of  the  meeting. 


174  REVOLT 

Holman  also  had  picked  up  a  great  deal,  both  phys 
ically  and  mentally,  in  his  three-days  lay-off.  In 
voice  and  magnetism  he  was  once  more  at  his  best. 
He  played  on  the  heart  strings  of  his  audience  as  no 
other  public  speaker  in  America  was  capable. 

The  indoor  meeting  was  followed  by  several  out 
door  meetings  addressed  from  temporary  platforms. 
Both  Holman  and  Marta  spoke,  Roger  being  in  con 
stant  and  anxious  attendance  upon  the  latter.  He 
was  accompanied  by  two  armed  guards  in  citizen's 
clothes,  in  addition  to  the  necessary  number  of  po 
licemen  to  get  through  the  crowd. 

It  was  within  a  few  minutes  of  midnight  when 
Holman  said  "good  night"  to  a  big  crowd,  leaving 
thousands  of  disappointed  men  and  women  still  wait 
ing  around  the  Square  from  the  hall. 

By  pre-arrangement,  Holman  was  to  meet  McWill- 
iams  and  Roger  at  one  o'clock  for  a  conference  on  the 
plans  for  the  Revolutionist  convention  at  Chicago, 
the  second  Monday  following.  A  waiting  limousine 
took  Roger  and  Marta  to  her  hotel.  Although  tired 
she  was  happy  at  the  overwhelming  success  of  the 
meeting. 

"I  was  thinking  very  seriously  tonight,  as  I  noticed 
the  crowd  responding  to  Holman's  wonderful  address," 
she  said. 

"Along  what  lines,  my  dear?"  asked  Roger. 

"I  wondered  what  manner  of  man  it  must  be  who 
could  see  the  people  implicitly  trusting  him  and  yet 


CAME  A   SURPRISE  TO  BALTIMORE  175 

deliberately  betray  that  trust  at  the  very  first  oppor 
tunity." 

"I  have  often  thought  the  same  thing,"  said  Roger. 
"I  presume  politics  and  temporary  power  in  public 
office  dull  a  man's  sense  of  right  and  wrong.  Many 
men  of  strict  personal  honesty  are  without  any  prin 
ciples  at  all  when  handling  public  matters." 

"Holman  is  wonderful,  isn't  he?"  mused  Marta. 

"The  most  wonderful  character  of  this  generation," 
affirmed  Roger,  without  the  slightest  tinge  of  jeal 
ously  in  his  voice,  "but  I  know  somebody  else  who 
was  wonderful,  tonight." 

Marta  remained  silent. 

"It  was  you,  my  dear,"  persisted  Roger,  "I  think 
everything  you  said  was  nothing  short  of  marvelous." 

"I'm  so  glad  you  liked  it." 

"You  looked  wonderful,  too,"  said  Roger,  tenderly. 
"I  likened  you  to  Joan  of  Arc.  You  seemed  actually 
inspired." 

"I  almost  feel  that  way  at  times,"  said  Marta,  in 
reverent  tone.  "Don't  you  think  that  great  public 
movements  and  the  participation  in  them  is  conducive 
to  something  bordering  on  inspiration?" 

"Certainly,"  replied  Roger,  "especially  if  one  feels 
deeply  and  is  putting  every  effort  into  the  work." 

"Nobody  works  any  harder  than  yourself,  Roger." 

"Oh!  I'm  only  a  little  cog  in  the  machine.  Holman 
and  Me  Williams  and  you  do  a  great  deal  more  than 
I  do."  Then  suddenly  without  the  slightest  introduc- 


176  REVOLT 

tion  or  leading  up  to  his  intention,  he  said:  "Marta, 
may  I  kiss  you?" 

His  face  was  close  enough  so  that  he  could  see  the 
slight  nod  of  her  head.  The  lights  in  the  car  were 
out.  And  Marta  Falmouth,  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  felt  the  strong  arms  of  a  man  other  than  her  father 
close  around  her  and  gave  her  lips  to  the  man  she  loved . 

Why  a  young  woman  who  was  tearing  the  Repub 
lican  party's  new  candidate  to  shreds  before  an  au 
dience  of  thousands  at  eight-thirty  should  be  wiping 
tears  from  her  eyes  four  hours  later  because  a  man  had 
kissed  her  is  something  that  passes  the  understanding 
of  the  recounter  of  this  story. 


Marta,  may  I  kiss  \on  ~C 


CHAPTER  XX 

A   PLOT  NIPPED  BY  A  FROST 

The  night  before  the  Revolutionist  Convention  at 
Chicago  demonstrated  the  thoroughness  of  the  organ 
ization  that  Roger  Adams  Morton  was  capable  of 
building. 

Every  delegate  who  knew  how  to  read  and  had 
sense  enough  to  buy  a  Chicago  paper  was  able  to  see, 
at  a  glance,  just  where  he  was  to  sit  at  the  Auditorium. 
He  was  also  informed  regarding  everything  else  nec 
essary  to  a  delegate's  duties  at  the  convention,  where 
he  was  to  present  his  credentials,  the  kind  of  identifi 
cation  to  be  issued  him  and  the  schedule  of  proceed 
ings  so  far  as  it  was  possible  to  schedule  them  in 
advance. 

Morton  and  McWilliams  not  only  wanted  the  con 
vention  to  run  smoothly  but  they  were  anxious  to  let 
the  country  at  large  know  that  the  Revolutionist  party 
recognized  the  value  of  intelligent  organization. 

"America  is  the  greatest  business  country  on  earth 
because  Americans  are  the  best  organizers,"  was  the 
way  Roger  expressed  it  to  McWilliams,  and  the  pub 
licist  saw  to  it  that  the  outward  evidences  of  good 
organization  would  be  of  value  to  the  movement. 

177 


178  REVOLT 

Although  the  chosen  delegates  from  all  over  the 
United  States  were  card-indexed  to  the  very  last  man 
in  all  the  single  districts  and  the  delegates  at  large 
also  and  their  alternates  were  not  only  indexed  but 
their  photographs  and  a  brief  sketch  of  their  previous 
political  activities  were  made  part  of  the  card  system, 
the  fact  that  the  delegates  were  chosen  by  the  secur 
ing  of  signatures  because  the  time  for  balloting  had 
passed  in  all  the  states  before  the  party  was  conceived, 
made  it  possible  for  trouble  to  arise  on  contesting 
delegations.  Roger  was  prepared  for  it. 

Early  on  the  night  before,  the  first  case  was  called 
to  Roger's  attention  at  his  headquaters  in  the  LaSalle. 
A  clerk  from  the  certificator's  office  at  the  Auditorium 
came  to  the  rooms,  with  four  negroes. 

"Mr.  Morton,"  he  explained,  "these  men  claim  to 
be  the  regular  delegates  from  the  eighth  and  twelfth 
districts  in  Alabama.  We  have  already  certified  the 
delegates  from  those  two  districts.  They  now  say 
they  will  take  their  case  to  the  floor  of  the  convention." 

"Did  you  come  direct  from  Alabama  to  Chicago?" 
asked  Roger. 

"No,  sir,  "said  the  spokesman.  "We  came  from 
Baltimore." 

"Oh!  you  attended  the  Republican  Convention 
there,"  suggested  Roger. 

"Yussir,"  answered  the  other.  "We  were  delegates 
there.  Nobody  argued  with  us  at  all  about  going 
right  into  the  convention." 


A  PLOT  NIPPED  BY  A  FROST  179 

"I  see,"  said  Roger,  smiling.  "You,  of  course,  re 
ceived  your  pay  and  instructions  before  coming  to 
Chicago?" 

"Suttinly,"  affirmed  the  leader.  "We  received  our 
expenses  and  we  was  told  to  go  right  on  to  the  floor 
and  demand  our  rights  as  delegates." 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  said  Roger,  "there  are  cer 
tain  considerations  due  you.  If  you  will  wait  a  few 
minutes,  I'll  see  that  our  publicity  man  gives  you  all 
the  help  he  can.  Won't  you  be  seated?" 

The  quartet  waited  while  Roger  got  word  to  Mc- 
Williams. 

"I'm  not  sure  of  these  publicity  stunts,  McWilliams," 
explained  Roger,  when  the  publicist  came  in  answer 
to  his  hurried  phone,  "but  it  occurred  to  me  that  there 
might  be  something  here  that  we  could  turn  to  our 
advantage." 

The  conversation  took  place  out  of  hearing  of  the 
quartet.  McWilliams  winked  at  Roger. 

"Leave  it  to  a  crooked  politician  to  ball  things  up," 
he  said,  smiling.  "I  was  wondering  just  how  we 
would  be  able  to  meet  contesting  delegates.  Not 
having  been  duly  elected,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
the  party  hasn't  been  legally  in  existence,  we  have 
gone  to  the  expedient  of  having  every  delegate  secure 
the  names  of  a  certain  number  of  legal  voters.  This 
creates  only  a  moral  standing,  a  matter  of  honor  in 
every  case." 

"Certainly,   we've   gone   all   through   that,"   said 


180  REVOLT 

Roger.  "Our  electors  go  on  the  ballot  on  nomination 
papers,  with  the  word  'Revolutionist'  appended  to 
designate  the  party.  Every  candidate  running  will 
be  fully  instructed  as  well  as  our  presidential  electors. 
That's  all  in  the  future.  But  how  about  the  contests 
in  the  convention?" 

"I  was  waiting  for  the  first  case,"  answered  Mc- 
Williams,  "just  to  see  how  they  would  start  making 
trouble.  I'm  surprised  that  their  work  could  be  so 
crude.  We  will  not  only  stop  any  contests,  but  we 
will  make  Republican  Chairman  Palmer  a  joke  in 
tomorrow's  papers." 

McWilliams  was  then  presented  to  the  four  gentle 
men  from  Alabama.  He  evidenced  deep  solicitude 
for  their  predicament  and  asked  if  they  would  be  so 
kind  as  to  sit  for  their  photographs  and  give  a  sworn 
statement  to  the  Committee  explaining  who  gave  them 
their  instructions  and  paid  them  to  come  to  Chicago. 

"Suttinly,"  agreed  the  spokesman.  "Mr.  Palmer 
personally  gave  us  our  instructions  and  there  are 
forty  more  delegates  from  Alabama,  Georgia,  and 
South  Carolina  who  will  be  here  tonight  to  swear  the 
same  thing." 

Tenderly  and  with  a  care  that  only  long  experience 
was  able  to  disguise  into  an  apparent  routine  of  con 
ventions,  McWilliams  rushed  his  guests  before  the 
camera,  giving  instructions  to  have  a  couple  dozen 
extra  pictures  of  each  of  the  sitters  ready  for  personal 
use  the  next  afternoon,  and  by  pre-arrangement  with 


A   PLOT  NIPPED  BY  A  FROST  181 

an  assistant  took  them  before  a  prominent  Superior 
Court  Justice,  who  swore  each  man  to  a  signed  state 
ment  already  prepared. 

The  judge  was  a  republican  and  at  first  wanted  to 
dodge  the  duty.  Only  after  McWilliams  told  him 
privately  that  his  duty  as  a  notary  was  clearly  denned 
and  that  his  name  would  be  included  in  the  story  as 
unwilling  to  do  his  duty,  did  he  finally  consent. 

"I'll  get  into  all  sorts  of  trouble  over  this  thing," 
he  said,  pettishly.  "But  I  don't  see  how  I  can  refuse 
to  act  when  you  insist." 

"Don't  blame  anybody  but  Palmer,"  said  McWill 
iams,  smiling.  "This  is  one  of  the  most  stupid  things 
I've  ever  seen.  It  is  so  raw  that  I  figure  he  thought 
we  wouldn't  think  him  guilty  of  it." 

So  the  men  from  Alabama  were  duly  sworn  and 
each  one  signed  an  affidavit  to  the  effect  that  Chair 
man  Palmer  of  the  Republican  National  Committee 
had  paid  their  expenses  to  Chicago  to  demand  places 
as  delegates  to  the  Revolutionist  Convention  and  to 
contest  for  the  seats,  that  they  had  as  much  right  as 
anybody  to  the  seats  and  that  if  they  were  denied 
their  rights,  to  tell  the  newspapers  that  they  had  been 
imposed  upon  by  the  Revolutionist  party.  Judge 
Aiken,  of  the  Superior  Court,  signed  his  name  as 
Notary  for  all  four  statements. 

McWilliams  then  turned  his  attention  to  a  page 
advertisement,  reproducing  the  statements  in  fac 
simile  and  pictures  of  the  four  Alabamans  and  a  half 


182  REFOLT 

tone  picture  of  Judge  Aiken.  Taken  altogether,  type, 
substance  and  illustrations,  it  was  a  very  effective 
political  advertisement.  It  ran  in  all  Chicago  papers 
on  the  morning  of  the  convention.  There  were  no 
further  contested  seats  at  the  Revolutionist  Conven 
tion. 

Another  little  event,  of  no  special  significance  when 
viewed  by  itself,  but  of  deep  meaning  when  coupled 
with  the  entire  political  situation,  took  place  at  the 
Union  Station  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

The  special  train  from  New  York  was  reported 
three  hours  late.  Roger  had  arranged  to  meet  the 
train,  personally,  as  the  New  York  delegates  were 
booming  Lt.  Gov.  Braley  for  Vice-President. 

Excusing  himself  from  a  conference  with  the  plat 
form  committee,  Roger  left  for  the  station  at  8.45  to 
walk  up  to  their  hotel  with  the  New  York  delegates. 
As  he  joined  a  group  of  people  who  were  also  waiting 
the  arrival  of  the  special,  he  thought  he  detected  a 
familiar  back  in  front  of  him.  The  owner  of  the  back 
was  circulating  among  the  group  speaking  in  a  low 
tone  to  several  of  them. 

Roger  watched  the  manoeuvering  for  a  few  minutes 
and  then  sidled  forward  until  he  could  get  a  good  look 
at  the  active  one.  A  glance  at  the  face  of  the  other 
told  all  he  wanted  to  know. 

Stepping  forward  he  slapped  the  busy  man  heartily 
on  the  back,  and  as  the  slapped  man  turned  Roger 
extended  his  hand  and  said:  "Why!  if  it  isn't  Lan- 


A   PLOT  NIPPED  BY  A  FROST  183 

nigan,  himself.  Why  the  movie  moustache?  Every 
body  expected  you." 

"What  you  driving  at,  Mister?"  asked  the  other. 

"Cut  out  your  foolishness,  Lannigan,"  said  Roger, 
curtly.  "This  is  a  man's  game.  All  your  stupid 
disguises  and  this  crowd  of  assistants  is  old  time  stuff. 
It  went  out  of  style  twenty  years  ago." 

"Well!"  came  back  Lannigan,  angrily.  "I  don't 
see  any  medals  on  the  stuff  you  and  Holman  are  ped 
dling.  All  the  same  old  Barnum  &  Bailey  story  to  me . 
You  need  watching.  I'm  here  to  watch  you.  Any 
objections?" 

"None  whatever,  if  that's  all  you  and  this  gang  of 
pirates  are  up  to,"  replied  Roger,  pleasantly.  "Come 
to  the  convention  as  my  guest  if  you  want.  Sit  in 
with  our  platform  committee  if  it  pleases  you,  but  for 
the  sake  of  Sherlock  Holmes'  reputation  and  that  of 
Nick  Carter,  cut  out  the  mysterious  rough  stuff.  It 
nauseates  grown  people  who  are  engaged  in  serious 
matters." 

"You  go  to  Hell!"  said  Lannigan,  hotly,  his  face 
flushed  with  anger. 

"It  would  be  a  relief  from  your  presence,  you  cheap 
spy,"  returned  Roger,  sarcastically,  turning  and  walk 
ing  away. 

Into  the  eyes  of  Lannigan  there  came  a  look  that 
had  nothing  of  pleasantness.  He  clenched  his  hands, 
gritted  his  teeth  and  then  renewed  his  activity  among 
the  group  of  men  who  seemed  to  be  waiting  with  a 
definite  purpose  in  view. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  REVOLUTIONIST  CONVENTION 

The  first  Revolutionist  Convention  at  Chicago  was 
called  to  order  at  12  o'clock  noon  on  Tuesday,  August 
n,  1940,  in  the  Auditorium. 

After  prayer  by  the  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Chicago,  the  roll-call  was  taken  by  states, 
the  chairman  of  each  state  delegation  announcing  the 
number  of  delegates  to  which  his  state  was  entitled 
and  then  the  number  present. 

With  the  exception  of  New  York  and  Florida,  every 
state  was  represented  by  a  full  quota  of  delegates, 
some,  of  course,  being  alternates.  It  was  moved  and 
voted  that  the  New  York  and  Florida  delegations  be 
filled  by  alternates  from  other  states  after  these  al 
ternates  were  duly  sworn  to  do  their  duty. 

The  temporary  chairman  then  called  for  nomination 
for  permanent  Chairman  and  Governor  Hale  of  Mis 
souri,  head  of  his  delegation,  was  made  permanent 
Chairman,  without  a  contest.  His  speech  of  fifteen 
minutes  was  well  received.  Secretaries  and  other 
officers  for  the  convention  were  chosen  by  the  Chair 
man  and  the  order  proceeded.  Contrary  to  regular 
conventional  custom,  the  platform  of  the  new  party 
was  the  first  business  to  be  taken  up. 

184 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  CONTENTION  185 

"Established  parties,"  said  the  Chairman,  in  ex 
planation,  "are  committed  to  certain  well-known 
principles,  at  least  they  are  well  known  to  the 
men  who  finance  those  parties.  Often  the  people 
have  only  a  hazy  conception  of  the  principles  of 
either  of  the  two  so-called  leading  parties  of 
today. 

"For  years  the  Republican  party  was  committed 
to  what  it  called  a  'protective  tariff.'  Bitter  were 
the  debates  on  that  supposedly  vital  question.  We 
haven't  heard  it  mentioned  for  over  a  quarter  of  a 
century. 

"For  two  campaigns  the  Republicans  fought  the 
Democrats  on  the  currency  issue  of  bi-metallism. 
'One  standard,  the  gold  standard'  was  the  slogan  of 
the  Republican  orators.  Mr.  Bryan's  plea  for  a  bi 
metallic  standard  on  a  parity  of  16  ounces  of  silver 
for  one  of  gold  and  the  free  and  unlimited  coinage  of 
silver  on  that  basis  was  heralded  as  a  scheme  to  cheat 
the  Government,  the  repudiation  of  our  honest  Na 
tional  debts  and  labelled  with  other  equally  discredit 
able  terms.  Many  vehement  spell-binders  called 
Bryan  a  traitor. 

"The  fact  that  silver  was  worth  only  52  cents  per 
ounce  in  the  open  market  at  the  time  was  the  main 
argument  used.  Without  any  governmental  action 
silver  has  now  appreciated  until  it  is  worth  $1.35  per 
ounce  in  the  open  markets,  a  parity  with  gold  of  about 
15  to  i.  It  has  often  touched  $1.50  an  ounce.  Not 


186  REVOLT 

a  word  has  been  said  regarding  16  to  i  for  twenty 
years. 

"Fundamentals  in  government  are  the  only  things 
that  do  not  change.  The  tendency  has  been  to  get 
away  from  fundamentals.  We  hope  to  revert  to  cer 
tain  agreed  fundamentals  of  government  through  the 
aid  of  the  Revolutionists.  The  tariff  has  never  been 
a  fundamental.  The  relative  values  of  gold  and  silver 
was  not  a  fundamental  question.  Most  political 
questions  have  been  far  removed  from  fundamentals. 

"In  order  that  we  may  base  our  campaign  entirely 
upon  fundamentals  I  ask  that  the  first  thing  we  con 
sider  in  convention  be  the  platform  of  our  party. 
Once  we  have  agreed  on  that  we  will  have  our  car 
ready  for  the  motor  that  is  to  run  it. 

"I  shall  first  ask  for  the  reading  of  the  tentative 
platform  in  full  so  that  the  entire  scope  may  be  under 
stood.  I  shall  then  go  back  to  the  separate  planks 
and  have  each  one  presented  for  free  discussion.  All 
amendments  shall  be  made  by  roll-call  and  each  plank 
will  be  either  finally  accepted  or  rejected  by  roll-call 
of  states,  the  chairman  of  each  state  giving  the  vote 
of  the  delegates  of  his  state,  for  and  against.  The 
unit  rule  is  not  binding  in  this  convention  on  any 
question.  Each  delegate's  vote  is  equal  to  that  of 
every  other  delegate,  regardless  of  the  size  of  his  state 
delegation." 

The  rest  of  the  afternoon  was  devoted  to  the  pre 
sentation  and  discussion  of  the  platform.  Several 


THE  REFOLUTIONIST  CONVENTION  187 

changes  were  made,  some  by  large  votes,  some  by  a 
narrow  margin.  Earnestness  and  deep  sincerity 
marked  the  proceedings.  As  the  end  of  the  platform 
was  reached  a  tenseness  seemed  to  come  over  the 
entire  meeting.  Every  word  was  watched,  every 
sentence  listened  to  as  though  each  one  of  the  2100 
delegates  was  personally  responsible  for  the  document 
that  was  to  go  before  the  country  as  the  platform 
upon  which  the  Revolutionist  party  was  to  stand  or 
fall. 

At  six-thirty,  with  a  collar  that  was  melted  into  a 
wet  rag  around  his  neck,  but  with  a  voice  clear  as  a 
bell,  the  Chairman  announced  the  reading  of  the  final 
draft  as  it  had  been  accepted.  The  reading  clerk  then 
read  this  platform  of  the  Revolutionists,  after  asking 
that  there  be  no  interruptions. 

We,  the  Revolutionist  Party  of  the  United  States, 
representing,  through  2100  delegates  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  what  we  honestly  believe  to  be  the 
wishes  of  a  majority  of  those  responsible  for  our 
presence  in  convention,  do  solemnly  proclaim  this 
first  National  platform. 

We  pledge,  without  reservation,  every  candidate 
of  our  party  to  a  strict  adherence  to  the  principles 
herein  contained. 

We  pledge  allegiance  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  firmly  believing  that  it  is  unsurpassed 
in  all  human  history  as  a  proven  and  workable  in 
strument  of  democratic  government,  granting,  when 


188  REVOLT 

properly  exercised  and  interpreted,  to  all  who  live 
under  its  protection  the  greatest  of  liberties  and  the 
least  of  restraints. 

We  deplore  the  base  uses  to  which  the  enormous 
private  fortunes  of  America  have  recently  been  put 
in  deliberate  attempts  to  make  the  Constitution  un- 
operative  and  pledge  our  duly-elected  officials  to 
remedying  this  evil. 

We  believe  in  the  Government  ownership  of  all 
public  utilities  —  specifically  including  all  means  of 
transportation,  all  means  of  communication  by  wire 
or  by  wireless,  all  cold-storage  plants,  all  stock  yards, 
in  fact,  all  means  whereby  food  and  clothing  may  be 
better  distributed  and  all  business  and  social  relation 
ships  may  be  better  facilitated. 

'  \  We  pledge  ourselves  to  the  enactment  of  a  National 
law  that  will  insure  a  regular  weekly  income  to  every 
man  and  woman  reaching  the  age  of  60  years,  which 
income  will  be  sufficient  on  which  to  live,  without 
privation.  This  law  will  also  include  any  man  or 
woman  of  any  age  physically  disabled  from  perform 
ing  work. 

We  pledge  ourselves  to  an  unlimited  development 
of  all  national  resources  —  specifically  including  the 
exploitation  of  all  forest  reserves,  all  water  ways,  the 
dredging  of  lakes  and  rivers,  the  stocking  of  wild 
lands  with  game,  the  stocking  of  all  rivers  and  lakes 
with  fish,  the  cleaning  of  swamp  lands,  the  irrigation 
and  development  of  all  so-called  waste  or  desert  lands, 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  CONVENTION  189 

the  exploitation  of  all  oil  lands  and  mines,  the  opening 
up  of  all  lands  to  the  people. 

We  pledge  the  compulsory  attendance  of  every 
healthy  child  over  6  years  of  age  and  up  to  1 6  years 
at  a  public  school  or  a  private  school,  if  said  private 
school  conforms  to  public  standards. 

We  advocate  a  National  highway  system  that  will 
enable  all  vehicles  to  reach  their  destination  with 
increasing  facility. 

We  advocate  a  law  that  will  guarantee  the  principal 
of  every  bank  deposit,  no  matter  what  the  nature  of 
the  deposit,  or  the  kind  of  bank.  The  public  is  en 
titled  to  fullest  protection  in  placing  money  on  de 
posit. 

We  advocate  an  examination  by  Federal  experts 
of  every  stock  and  bond  offering  made  to  the  public 
-  regardless  of  the  amount  or  nature  of  security 
offered.  No  offerings  of  stocks  or  bonds  should  be 
made  except  with  an  expert  governmental  report 
attached.  If  a  stock  is  wholly  speculative  it  should 
be  sold  only  with  knowledge  of  its  character. 

We  advocate  the  complete  abolition  of  all  purchases 
or  sales  of  stock  on  margin  account  on  any  exchange. 
Such  transactions  are  gambling  and  are  of  no  value 
in  the  development  of  legitimate  businesses. 

We  stand  for  Medical  Liberty,  absolute  and  entire. 
We  deny  the  right  of  any  government  to  compel  sub 
mission  to  medical  dogmas  or  superstitions,  surgical 
operations  or  disease  inoculations. 


190  REVOLT 

We  affirm  the  right  of  the  individual  to  the  security 
of  his  person  and  the  liberty  of  his  conscience. 

We  advocate  a  National  experimenting  station  to 
exploit  all  patents  granted  by  the  United  States,  so 
that  all  inventions  of  value  may  be  made  available 
at  the  earliest  moment  and  that  all  worthless  inven 
tions  may  be  discarded  as  soon  as  possible. 

We  advocate  the  immediate  taking  over  by  the 
Government  of  all  life,  fire,  health,  accident  and  all 
other  kinds  of  insurance  businesses,  so  that  costs  of 
insurance  may  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  and  that  no 
possible  losses  to  beneficiaries  may  result  through 
failure  of  private  insurance  companies. 

We  recommend  a  law  that  will  compel  every  pub 
lication  of  every  kind  to  sell  space  in  the  publication 
at  published  rates  to  any  political  party,  political 
cause  or  candidate  for  public  office  to  the  end 
that  publicity  shall  not  be  denied  any  cause  because 
of  editorial  prejudice. 

We  advocate  the  election  of  President  by  direct 
vote  of  the  people,  regardless  of  states,  and  the  aboli 
tion  of  the  cumbersome  and  worn-out  electoral  college 
that  permits  concentration  of  money  in  so-called 
doubtful  states. 

We  advocate  the  initiative  and  referendum  —  na 
tionally  and  in  the  states  —  to  the  utmost  of  their 
possibilities  as  governmental  functions. 

We  favor  the  election  of  judges  by  the  people  and 


TEE  REVOLUTIONIST  CONVENTION  191 

the  recall  of  judicial  decisions  in  cases  involving  the 
public  as  a  whole  or  in  part. 

We  advocate  the  addition  of  a  Secretary  of  Public 
ity  and  a  Secretary  of  Distribution  to  the  President's 
Cabinet  and  in  due  time  of  a  Secretary  of  Insurance. 

We  recommend  that  the  offices  of  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  and  Secretary  of  War  be  abolished  as  out  of 
keeping  with  the  spirit  of  the  times  and  that  the  duties 
of  these  offices  be  taken  over  by  a  new  Cabinet  office 
to  be  in  charge  of  a  Secretary  of  Peace. 

After  a  whirlwind  of  applause  the  convention  ad 
journed  until  the  following  day. 

The  fact  that  Dan  Holman  of  Kansas  was  nomi 
nated  by  acclamation  and  without  an  opposing  vote 
early  after  the  opening  of  the  convention  on  the  fol 
lowing  day  doesn't  mean  that  the  convention  was 
a  cut-and-dried  affair.  Nobody  had  shown  up  to 
contest  with  Holman.  He  stood  forth  as  the  natural 
leader  of  the  movement.  His  nomination  went 
through  with  an  enthusiasm  that  seemed  to  be  with 
out  limit. 

The  interest  in  the  second  place  on  the  ticket  de 
veloped  early.  Hargraves  of  New  York  lead  on  the 
first  ballot,  with  816  votes,  being  closely  trailed  by 
Merryfield  of  California  with  720  votes.  Merryfield 
had  the  solid  West  with  him.  Others  were  scattered. 

It  was  evident  that  with  Holman  of  Kansas  to 
head  the  ticket,  good  judgment  would  demand  an 
Easterner  to  balance  the  ticket.  A  woman  delegate 


192  REVOLT 

from  Pennsylvania  set  the  crowd  laughing  when  she 
arose  and  said: 

"I  am  a  Revolutionist.  I  believe  in  idealism.  But 
idealism  that  can't  win  isn't  worth  anything  in  this 
very  practical  world.  An  unsuccessful  Revolutionist 
is  only  a  traitor.  A  successful  Revolutionist  is  a 
patriot.  I  want  to  be  a  patriot  and  that  means  that 
I  must  be  with  a  party  that  succeeds.  We  can't  win 
with  Merryfield.  We  can  win  with  Hargraves.  He 
doesn't  need  any  other  endorsement  than  that." 

Hargraves  was  nominated  on  the  fifth  ballot  and 
Merryfield  was  the  first  man  to  congratulate  him  and 
pledge  him  the  vote  of  California  on  election  day. 
There  was  no  evidence  of  the  slightest  lack  of  harmony. 

In  response  to  a  call  from  the  Chairman,  Holman 
took  the  platform  at  3.30  in  the  afternoon  and  made 
his  speech  of  acceptance  a  plea  for  success.  He  never 
had  faced  a  more  friendly  audience.  He  never  had 
been  in  better  form.  It  was  two  hours  later  that  he 
finished  his  address  and  it  was  not  until  seven  o'clock 
that  the  ovation  had  ended.  A  few  of  the  epigrams 
that  were  interspersed  throughout  the  speech  were 
these : 

"All  multi-millionaires  appease  their  consciences 
when  misusing  their  wealth  by  saying  that  the  people 
are  too  ignorant  to  handle  money,  and  they  all  seem 
to  forget  the  fact  that  every  dollar  they  possess  was 
gotten  from  the  people." 

"When  the  nations  of  the  world  stopped  building 


THE  REVOLUTIONIST  CONVENTION  193 

battleships  and  raising  armies  the  mothers  of  men 
sent  up  a  prayer  of  thankfulness  to  God  such  as  was 
never  heard  in  Heaven  before." 

"No  man  can  get  any  more  happiness  out  of  the 
world  than  he  puts  into  it.  The  Revolutionist  party 
will  make  every  millionaire  happy  by  giving  him  a 
better  opportunity  to  make  the  world  happier." 

"Every  time  I  hear  of  the  birth  of  a  baby  and  that 
mother  and  child  are  doing  well,  I  am  convinced  that 
nature  gave  women  a  much  better  constitution  than 
our  forefathers  gave  them." 

''If  the  liquor  business  of  twenty  years  ago  was  all 
that  its  defenders  of  that  time  claimed  for  it,  doesn't 
it  seem  strange  that  so  few  monuments  have  been 
erected  by  a  loving  people  to  the  memory  of  saloon 
keepers?" 

"The  Constitution  guarantees  'the  pursuit  of  happi 
ness'  as  an  unalienable  right.  Unfortunately  the  way 
over  which  the  pursuit  must  take  place  has  been 
blocked.  We  propose  to  clear  the  road  and  make  it 
a  free-for-all." 

"After  all,  Death  is  the  greatest  democrat.  They 
all  look  alike  to  him." 

"If  the  people  are  capable  enough  to  operate  and 
pay  the  bills  of  the  greatest  government  on  earth 
they  surely  can  be  trusted  to  operate  a  few  railroads 
and  a  few  ship  yards." 

"All  men  may  be  created  equal  under  the  Consti 
tution  but  the  equality  doesn't  last  long  under  our 


194  REVOLT 

present  methods  of  government  by  subsidized 
officials." 

"The  man  who  said  that  'health  is  wealth'  may 
have  been  sick  abed  but  he  knew  what  he  was  talking 
about.  The  Revolutionist  party  believes  that  no 
nation  can  be  wealthy  that  isn't  healthy.  We  pro 
pose  to  see  that  the  Constitution  once  more  functions 
properly  as  it  was  intended  that  it  should." 

"The  greatest  menace  in  the  world  is  ignorance. 
The  Revolutionist  party  will  compel  every  child  in 
America  to  attend  school  so  that  ignorance  be  abol 
ished." 

"Love  begets  love.  The  best  way  to  get  a  man  to 
love  his  country  is  by  showing  him  that  his  country 
loves  him  and  will  never  let  him  suffer  in  body  or  in 
mind  while  he  obeys  the  laws  of  the  land." 

It  may  sound  like  a  hackneyed  expression,  but  if 
ever  a  speaker  sounded  the  keynote  of  a  campaign, 
Dan  Holman  did  in  his  speech  of  acceptance. 

At  regular  rates  the  speech  in  full  appeared  in  every 
big  daily  in  the  United  States  —  spread  over  two 
pages  —  on  the  following  day.  McWilliams  was  a  very 
busy  man.  The  Revolutionist  convention  passed  into 
history  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  its  second  day. 
It  had  formally  launched  the  new  party,  adopted  its 
platform,  chosen  its  standard  bearers  and  sent  its 
challenge  into  the  farthest  corners  of  the  country. 

The  battle  for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States 
of  America  had  started,  officially. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT 

With  the  Revolutionist  party  launched  officially 
as  a  National  organization,  the  work  at  General 
Headquarters  and  the  Women's  Branch  increased  to 
enormous  proportions. 

Roger's  plans  on  expansion  were  rushed  through 
all  over  the  country  in  spite  of  the  intense  August 
heat.  Every  state  in  the  Union  had  its  full  comple 
ment  of  state,  county,  city,  town  and  ward  organi 
zations.  A  woman's  committee  was  appointed  and 
put  in  charge  of  a  separate  headquarters  in  every 
possible  political  subdivision. 

Speakers'  schedules  were  arranged  and  potential 
candidates  for  every  office  to  be  voted  upon  in  the 
country  were  lined  up.  Nothing  was  left  to  chance. 
Enthusiasm  was  discounted.  The  only  thing  that 
was  considered  was  completeness  of  organization. 

At  the  highest  point  of  their  efficiency  neither  the 
Republican  party  nor  the  Democratic  party  had  ever 
approached  in  completeness  the  skeleton  organiza 
tion  that  was  to  carry  on  the  practical  work  of  the 
new  party. 

Roger  was  working  anywhere  from  ten  to  twenty 
hours  a  day.  He  had  induced  Holman  to  take  the 

195 


196  REVOLT 

last  three  weeks  of  August  for  a  rest  at  his  home  in 
Kansas. 

"Don't  do  a  thing,  Dan,  until  we  send  for  you," 
he  told  the  candidate  for  President.  "Don't  touch 
a  pen  to  paper.  Don't  talk  politics.  Just  sit  around 
the  house,  play  with  the  kids,  ride  in  the  automobile, 
eat  sparingly  and  be  ready  for  work  when  we  let  you 
know." 

"Hate  to  waste  a  minute  if  I  can  help  it,  Roger," 
said  Holman.  "I  could  make  a  lot  of  speeches  at  the 
big  shore  resorts  up  to  Labor  Day,  and  be  taking  a 
a  rest  at  the  same  time." 

"Well!  you're  not  going  to  do  so,"  insisted  the 
National  Chairman.  "For  three  weeks,  we  are  going 
to  organize  and  we  don't  want  our  work  broken  up 
by  candidates  and  mid-summer  speeches." 

Roger  and  Marta  were  both  at  the  Grand  Central 
the  day  that  Holman  left.  It  was  to  be  a  quiet  leave- 
taking,  but  some  enthusiast  recognized  Dan  as  he  was 
getting  out  of  his  car  and  started  a  little  reception. 
By  the  time  Holman  had  reached  the  gate  where  he 
expected  to  see  Roger  and  Marta  for  a  brief  word  and 
a  hand-shake  there  was  a  mob  of  commuters  all  try 
ing  to  reach  him.  Roger  and  Marta  were  compelled 
to  enter  the  train-shed  by  another  gate  and  wait  for 
Dan  to  force  his  way  by  the  ticket  inspector. 

As  the  smiling  candidate  finally  managed  to  worm 
his  way  through  the  crowd  and  into  the  clear  space 
he  remarked  to  Roger : 


THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT       197 

"No  rest  for  any  of  us  till  election  day,  Roger." 

"Why,  Dan,  I'm  surprised  at  you.  Our  real  work 
doesn't  start  till  after  your  victory  on  Election  Day. 
All  this  is  preliminary." 

"I'm  beginning  to  share  in  your  optimism,  Roger," 
said  Holman.  "How  about  you,  Miss  Falmouth?" 

"I  think  Mr.  Morton  is  one  of  the  most  able  men 
in  the  country,"  said  Marta,  looking  up  at  Roger,  ad 
miringly.  "I  only  wish  the  people  understood  how 
much  the  movement  owes  to  him." 

"Maybe  we  can  arrange  to  let  them  know,  some 
time,"  said  Holman,  smiling  significantly. 

As  he  bade  "good  bye,"  he  turned  to  Marta  and 
said,  pointing  at  Roger: 

"Don't  let  this  young  machine  wear  itself  out.  We 
need  to  keep  him  in  perfect  running  order." 

"I'll  look  after  him,"  smiled  Marta,  and  Holman 
thought  he  detected  a  slight  tinge  of  color  flash  into 
the  face  of  the  National  Chairman  of  the  Revolution 
ist  party. 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

While  Roger  made  no  effort  to  get  newspaper  space 
regarding  party  activities  there  were  certain  little 
things  that  deserved  mention  and  these  were  given 
to  the  proper  sources,  treating  all  newspapers  alike. 
Early  in  September,  McWilliams  returned  from  a 
hurried  trip  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  planning  to 
start  the  great  triangular  tours  of  the  country  — 
featuring  Holman  on  one  tour,  Hargraves,  the  Vice- 


198  REVOLT 

Presidential  candidate  on  the  second  and  Marta  on 
the  third.  He  had  something  on  his  mind  and  lost 
no  time  in  putting  it  up  to  Roger. 

"I  learned  something  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Morton," 
he  said,  "and  I'm  putting  it  up  to  you  at  once." 

"Well?"  said  Roger. 

"Our  news  stories  are  being  cut  pretty  badly," 
went  on  McWilliams,  "but  I  expected  that.  I 
learned,  from  inside  sources,  that  the  Republican 
papers  have  received  orders  from  higher  up,  not  only 
to  cut  down  our  stories  or  treat  them  as  jokes,  but  to 
refuse  our  advertising  as  we  near  the  end  of  the  cam 
paign." 

"How  about  the  Democratic  papers?"  asked  the 
Revolutionist  Chairman. 

"They  will  probably  do  the  same  thing,"  said  Mc 
Williams.  "In  fact,  Mr.  Morton,  the  thing  that 
surprises  me  is  the  way  that  we  have  been  able  to  get 
advertising  space  in  the  papers,  so  far,  without  re 
fusals  on  various  pretexts." 

"How  do  you  account  for  it?"  asked  Roger. 

"Our  real  opponents  were  not  prepared  for  it  and 
of  course,  the  newspapers  were  glad  to  get  this  new 
cash  business,"  explained  McWilliams,  "but  some 
body  now  sees  the  mistake  they  made  in  allowing  us 
to  use  all  the  advertising  space  we  wanted  and  they're 
going  to  stop  it. 

"If  they  had  stopped  it  earlier,  we  might  have 
bought  up  enough  newspaper  plants  to  run  our  own 


THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT       199 

papers.  If  they  can  choke  us  off  from  now,  we  won't 
be  able  to  do  a  thing  until  it's  too  late." 

"Sounds  bad,"  commented  Roger. 

"It's  just  as  bad  as  it  sounds,"  said  McWilliams, 
shaking  his  head. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Roger,  smiling,  "what  is  your 
solution?" 

"Thanks  for  the  compliment,"  said  McWilliams, 
with  an  answering  smile.  "I've  got  a  solution,  of 
course,  but  I  need  your  help  in  executing  it." 

"Go  ahead!" 

"Our  only  hope  is  Gilmore  of  the  Independent," 
continued  McWilliams.  "He  is  the  one  absolutely 
independent  publisher  in  America.  His  monthly 
magazines,  of  course,  cannot  do  us  any  good  as  they 
are  all  printed  so  far  ahead  that  I  doubt  if  we  could 
catch  one  of  them.  Political  advertising  written 
away  ahead  generally  sounds  dead,  anyhow.  I  don't 
like  monthlies. 

"But  Gilmore's  weekly  is  available  and  his  chain 
of  newspapers,  also  the  best  thing  in  publicity  that 
there  is,  the  Gilmore  Movie  News  Service.  This  goes 
every  night  on  to  the  screen  of  40,000  theatres  and 
reaches  every  week  at  least  100,000,000  people." 

"What  is  my  job?"  asked  Roger. 

"To  convince  Gilmore  that  we've  got  a  chance  to 
win  this  fight,"  replied  McWilliams. 

"I  know  Charlie  fairly  well,"  said  Roger.  "He  was 
at  Harvard  with  me,  but  didn't  graduate.  Some 


200  REFOLT 

trouble  with  the  Faculty.  Haven't  seen  him  very 
often  lately.  What  is  his  weakest  point?" 

"He  is  crazy  over  organization.  It's  a  mania  with 
him,  so  I  understand,"  replied  McWilliams.  "He 
hasn't  come  out  for  anybody  so  far.  If  he  can  be 
convinced  that  we  are  likely  to  win  it  will  influence 
him  in  deciding  whether  he  will  be  with  us  or  not. 

"He  is  the  greatest  publicity  factor  in  the  country 
and  the  most  fearless.  His  father's  fortune  and  his 
own  brains  have  made  him  financially  independent. 
He  would  like  to  be  with  us  on  general  principles  as 
he,  at  heart,  believes  in  our  views,  but  he  is  too  shrewd 
to  take  a  chance  unless  he  is  sure  that  we  will  make  a 
creditable  showing." 

Roger  hesitated  before  saying  anything.  McWill 
iams  waited. 

"Well!"  said  Roger,  finally,  "if  Gilmore  is  open  to 
conviction,  let's  see  if  we  can't  convince  him." 

He  reached  for  his  phone.  "Get  me  Mr.  Charles 
Gilmore,  publisher  of  the  Independent,"  he  told  the 
switch-board. 

"Your  father  will  know  that  you  are  looking  for 
Gilmore,  within  five  minutes,"  said  McWilliams. 

"Certainly  he  will,"  smiled  Roger.  "He  has  a 
cut-in  on  our  trunk  line  at  both  branches.  Our  wire 
expert  located  it  for  me.  I  use  the  line  when  I  want 
father's  information  bureau  to  know  what  I'm  doing. 
On  all  really  important  matters  I  have  a  line  that 
jumps  over  his  cut-in.  He  was  very  foolish.  He 


THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT       201 

should  have  made  his  connections  at  telephone  head 
quarters,  then  we  never  could  have  gotten  around 
him." 

"Some    organization,"    commented    McWilliams. 

"Each  man  does  his  part,"  smiled  Roger,  picking 
up  the  phone. 

"Hello,  Charlie,"  he  said  into  the  phone,  cordially. 
"This  is  Roger  Morton  talking.  I'd  like  to  see  you 
at  your  office  or  any  convenient  place,  just  as  soon  as 
possible.  ...  At  the  Independent  office  in  half  an 
hour  .  .  .  I'll  be  there  with  our  publicity  man." 

He  hung  up  the  phone  and  walked  to  the  elevator 
with  McWilliams. 

"We'll  talk  it  over  on  the  way  down,"  he  said  to 
the  latter. 

There  was  no  waiting  at  the  down-town  office  of 
the  Independent.  The  two  callers  were  ushered 
right  into  the  office  of  America's  greatest  publisher. 
After  introducing  McWilliams,  Roger  started  right 
into  the  reason  for  his  visit. 

"Would  you  like  to  see  Dan  Holman  elected  Presi 
dent  in  November?"  he  asked. 

"Nothing  would  please  memore,"  answered  Gilmore. 

"Will  you  help?"  asked  Roger. 

"If  I  were  convinced  that  my  help  would  insure 
his  election  I'd  go  the  limit,"  said  the  publisher. 

"You  won't  be  with  Bancroft  or  Halliday?"  asked 
Roger. 

"No!"  replied  Gilmore.     "I'll  either  stay  on  the 


202  REVOLT 

fence  or  jump  to  Holman.  It  is  a  pretty  fight  as  it 
lays.  I'd  be  with  Holman  on  general  principles  but 
I  can't  take  chances  any  more.  I've  picked  too  many 
losers.  I  must  be  more  careful  or  my  influence  will 
be  gone.  In  politics  a  newspaper  has  to  pick  winners 
once  in  a  while  or  its  political  influence  goes  all  to 
pieces." 

"What  would  influence  you  to  declare  absolutely 
for  Holman  and  the  Revolutionist  party?"  asked 
Roger. 

"My  zeal  has  carried  me  away  on  many  an  occasion, 
as  you  know,"  replied  Gilmore.  "I  have  found  that 
the  greatest  weakness  in  all  new  movements  has  been 
lack  of  organization." 

"I  agree  with  you,"  said  Roger. 

"Have  you  remedied  that  defect?"  asked  Gilmore, 
excitedly. 

"I  think  so,"  answered  Roger,  "but  one  is  never 
sure.  Suppose  you  test  us  out  and  see  whether  we 
are  really  organized  or  not?" 

"How  severe  a  test  can  you  stand?"  asked  Gilmore, 
smiling. 

"Let's  have  one  and  see!"  said  Roger,  confidently. 

"Who  is  the  Chairman  of  your  City  Committee  in 
Waltham,  Massachusetts?"  asked  Gilmore,  smiling. 

"Henry  Forsythe,"  answered  Roger,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  you  know  the  Chairman 


THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT       203 

of  all  your  City  Committees?"  asked  Gilmore,  sur- 
prisedly. 

"Only  in  cities  of  50,000  and  over.  I  can  give  you 
the  name  of  every  Chairman  of  every  State  and 
County  Committee  and  of  the  large  cities,  without 
referring  to  our  index.  The  smaller  organizations 
require  reference,  of  course." 

The  publisher  looked  admiringly  at  the  National 
Chairman  of  the  Revolutionist  Party. 

"This  is  interesting,"  he  said.  "I'm  wondering 
just  how  far  you've  gone  into  it.  Now  don't  be  pro 
voked,  Roger,  or  think  I'm  trying  to  put  anything 
over  on  you.  I'm  impressed.  I  want  to  help,  but  I'm 
practical  about  all  things  political.  Just  a  minute!" 
He  touched  a  bell  and  an  office  attendant  came  into 
the  room. 

"Bring  me  an  atlas!"  he  directed. 

The  attendant  placed  it  before  the  publisher  at 
once.  Gilmore  opened  it  and  glanced  at  the  lists  of 
cities  and  towns  of  the  country. 

"Take  a  note  of  these  names,"  he  said  to  Morton. 

"Ready!"  said  the  Revolutionist  Chairman. 

"Mason,  Illinois,  Ward  6,  Stockton,  California,  and 
Ellsworth,  Maine,"  read  Gilmore. 

"What  about  them?"  asked  Roger,  with  apparent 
indifference. 

"Who  are  the  Chairmen  of  the  Committees  in  the 
three  districts  and  how  large  are  the  Committees?" 
asked  Gilmore. 


204  REVOLT 

"Roger  reached  forward  and  lifted  the  phone  to 
his  ear.  He  asked  for  his  office  at  Headquarters. 
Gilmore  and  McWilliams  said  nothing. 

"Hello!"  spoke  Roger.  "Give  me  Mr.  Sullivan, 
please  .  .  .  Mr.  Sullivan?  This  is  the  Chairman 
talking.  Is  everything  all  right?  Thank  you!" 
He  waited  a  second  or  two  as  if  for  a  signal,  then  con 
tinued  his  talk. 

"Sullivan  ...  all  right.  Take  these  names. 
Mason,  Illinois,  Ward  6,  Stockton,  California,  and 
Ellsworth,  Maine.  Put  through  long  distance  calls 
to  Chairman  of  Men's  and  Women's  Branch  to  call 
me  at  Madison  2960  at  once  on  a  very  important 
matter.  That's  all,  Sullivan.  Thank  you!" 

He  hung  up  and  turned  to  Gilmore. 

"My  opening  with  Sullivan  was  a  signal.  He  lets 
everything  go  through  unless  I  signal  him.  Then 
he  throws  the  cut-off  so  that  we  can  talk  without 
being  overheard." 

Gilmore  was  evidently  thinking  of  something  en 
tirely  foreign  to  Roger's  explanation. 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  have  got  a  work 
ing  committee  at  the  three  places  I  named?"  he  asked. 

"Two  committees,  Charlie,"  answered  Roger,  "a 
regular  men's  committee  and  the  women's  branch 
committee.  I  have  very  little  to  do  with  the  operation 
of  the  women's  branch.  That  is  in  the  keeping  of 
Miss  Falmouth." 

"Professor   Falmouth's   daughter,"   said   Gilmore. 


THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT       205 

"I  knew  the  Professor  slightly.  Never  met  the  girl. 
My  men  tell  me  she  is  the  surprise  of  the  political 
world." 

"A  wonderful  woman,  Charlie,"  commented  Roger. 
"In  fact,  she  is  carrying  out  the  wishes  of  the  Professor 
in  everything." 

He  then  launched  into  a  dramatic  history  of  the 
movement  for  Gilmore's  benefit.  As  he  brought 
everything  right  up  to  the  moment,  the  phone  rang 
and  Roger  answered  it. 

"Yes!  This  is  Mr.  Morton,  Chairman  of  the  Na 
tional  Committee  talking  ...  I  am  glad  to  hear 
from  you,  Mrs.  Perkins.  I  called  you  especially  to 
know  if  your  entire  Committee  is  filled  .  .  .  That's 
fine!  twelve  active  members.  What  is  the  total 
registered  women's  vote  in  your  district?  .  .  .  420 
.  .  .  and  the  possible  vote  to  be  added?  ...  229 
.  .  .  and  how  many  have  you  put  on  to  the  voting 
list  since  August  i5th  .  .  .  248  .  .  .  Yes!  it  is  on 
your  weekly  report,  but  I  haven't  the  card  handy. 
Thank  you  very  much  for  calling.  Give  my  personal 
regards  to  the  members  of  your  Committee." 

He  hung  up  the  phone  and  turned  to  Gilmore. 

"You  got  it.  Mrs.  Perkins,  our  Chairman  of  the 
Women's  Branch  at  Ellsworth,  Maine,  reports  twelve 
women  on  her  committee,  been  organized  since  August 
8th,  and  they've  put  248  votes  on  the  women's  list 
since  the  i5th." 

He  answered  the  phone  and  received  similar  in- 


206  REVOLT 

formation  from  Mason,  Illinois.  Next  came  the 
women's  committee  from  Stockton,  California  and 
the  men's  committee  of  Ellsworth.  The  women's 
committee  of  Mason  was  next  in  line. 

All  the  time  Gilmore  sat  spellbound,  uttering  the 
most  laudatory  terms.  The  phone  stopped.  Gilmore 
stood  up  and  grasped  Roger  by  the  hand. 

"Believe  me,  Roger,  I've  seen  many  campaigns 
but  never  one  that  was  in  the  shape  this  one  seems  to 
be." 

Roger's  mind  seemed  occupied  with  something  else. 

"Just  a  minute,  Charlie,"  he  said,  at  length,  "I 
want  that  report  from  the  men's  committee  of  Ward 
6,  Stockton.  No  excuse  for  this  delay  on  it.  I'll  try 
Sullivan." 

The  phone  rang  as  he  was  reaching  for  it. 

"Ah !  here  it  is,"  he  smiled.  He  answered  the  phone. 
"Hello!  Yes!  this  is  Chairman  Morton  ...  Oh! 

that's  too  bad.    Yes !    I  wanted  certain  information. 
» 

At  the  close  of  his  talk,  Roger  turned  to  Gilmore 
and  said :  "That  was  the  Secretary  of  the  Committee. 
The  Chairman  is  laid  up  with  a  severe  injury  to  his  leg. 
Hopes  to  be  out  by  the  end  of  the  month.  What 
were  you  saying  about  organization?" 

"I  was  saying,  Roger,"  said  Gilmore,  smiling,  "that 
I'd  like  to  offer  the  services  of  the  Gilmore  interests 
to  the  Revolutionist  party  until  after  the  polls  close 
on  election  day." 


THE  INDEPENDENT  JOINS  THE  REVOLT      207 

The  two  men  shook  hands  and  the  cause  of  the 
Revolutionists  was  advanced  many  paces. 

Not  a  word  was  ever  said  about  money,  either  at 
this  conference  or  any  other,  not  a  word  was  ever 
said  about  patronage,  not  a  word  was  ever  uttered 
between  Morton  and  Gilmore  about  payment  of  any 
kind,  directly  or  indirectly. 

Charles  Gilmore  wasn't  that  kind  of  a  publisher. 
Roger  Morton  wasn't  that  kind  of  a  National  Chair 
man. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
MARTA  FALMOUTH'S  ABDUCTION  is  PLANNED 

With  Gilmore's  publications,  all  over  the  United 
States,  definitely  committed  to  the  Revolutionist 
cause,  the  campaign  began  to  assume  a  bitterness 
that  had  been  lacking  up  to  that  time. 

Gilmore's  help  in  a  political  fight  had  always  been 
sought  by  every  party  and  yet  his  opposition  had 
always  furnished  a  target  for  abuse  and  all  manner  of 
political  mud-slinging.  Parodoxical  though  it  may 
appear,  Gilmore  was  an  asset  to  both  sides  of  a  cam 
paign.  The  side  which  could  get  the  most  out  of  him 
as  an  asset  would  naturally  try  to  do  so. 

Had  Gilmore  declared  against  the  Revolutionist 
party  and  had  the  news  and  advertising  columns  of 
the  press  of  the  country  been  available  to  attack  him, 
then  his  opposition  could  have  been  discounted.  But 
with  the  press  closed  to  news  and  advertising  or  likely 
to  be  shut  off  at  the  height  of  the  campaign,  Gilmore 
was  indispensable  to  the  Revolutionist  cause,  even 
though  he  was  open  to  attacks  of  various  kinds. 

These  attacks  became  more  pointed  and  more  vio 
lent  as  the  campaign  swung  to  the  month  of  October 
but  the  Revolutionist  movement  sailed  serenely  along. 

Holman  and  Marta  and  the  Vice-Presidential  can- 
208 


MARTA  FALMOUTH'S  ABDUCTION  IS  PLANNED     209 

didate  were  talking  to  enormous  crowds.  By  adroit 
handling  of  his  schedules,  McWilliams  had  managed 
to  get  the  three  of  them  into  some  of  the  larger  cities 
at  the  same  time.  Unprecedented  enthusiasm  at 
tended  all  these  joint  meetings. 

Bancroft's  campaign  had  fizzled  to  almost  nothing. 
As  President,  he  issued  a  statement  to  the  effect  that 
a  whirlwind  tour  was  undignified  and  that  he  would 
meet  delegations  at  his  Summer  home  in  New  Jersey. 
His  speeches  to  these  delegations  were  used  by  the 
Associated  press,  but  attracted  no  special  attention. 

Under  goading  by  Morton,  Senior,  the  Republican 
campaign  had  been  whipped  into  shape  and  Halliday 
and  Sturgis  were  going  strong.  Halliday  was  a  very 
convincing  speaker  and  his  long  experience  in  public 
life  enabled  him  to  talk  fluently  and  with  apparent 
sincerity  against  "this  new  menace  to  American  free 
dom."  Among  other  terms  that  he  applied  to  Holman 
were  "Anarchist"  "Inciter  of  Unrest,"  "Enemy  of 
Popular  Government,"  "Charlatan,"  "Defamer  of 
American  Principles,"  "Word  Monger,"  "Egotist," 
"Radical,"  "Faker,"  "Counterfeit." 

In  spite  of  these  terms  the  crowds  that  flocked  to 
Holman's  rallies  grew  enormously.  Gilmore  had  two 
special  writers  with  Holman  and  also  covered  Marta's 
tour  and  that  of  Hargraves. 

An  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  elder  Morton  to  get 
the  entire  press  of  the  country  to  cut  down  the  stories 
of  the  Revolutionist  meetings  was  frowned  upon  by 


210  REVOLT 

the  editors.  One  Chicago  editor  who  attended  the 
conference  said: 

"It  is  nothing  less  than  stupidity  to  print  a  small 
story  about  a  big  event.  If  I  tell  my  readers  that 
Holman's  meeting  in  Chicago  was  an  ordinary  affair, 
when  over  a  million  people  were  unable  to  get  within 
a  mile  of  the  National  League  ball  grounds  where  the 
meeting  was  held,  my  paper  will  be  the  joke  of  the 
city.  We  have  given  the  Revolutionists  such  a  start 
that  we  can't  stop  them,  at  least,  not  so  far  as  pub 
licity  is  concerned." 

Finding  himself  defeated  along  these  lines,  the  head 
of  the  Universal  Trust  Co.  decided  upon  a  more  drastic 
effort.  He  sent  for  Lannigan  and  put  the  matter  to 
him.  The  meeting  was  held  at  the  office  of  the  Trust 
Company. 

"Lannigan,"  said  Morton,  Senior,  impressively, 
"I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  do  something  for  me  that 
will  take  all  your  nerve  to  carry  through  successfully. 
But  it  is  the  only  course  open,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  if  we 
hope  to  put  Halliday  across." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  the  detective. 

"First,  I  want  to  make  sure  that  I'm  making  the 
right  move,"  went  on  Morton.  "We  are  practically 
agreed  that  the  fight  is  now  between  Halliday  and 
Holman — Bancroft  is  hopelessly  beaten.  All  he  will 
hold  is  a  few  states  in  the  South  and  even  these  may 
be  lost  before  election  day." 

Lannigan  nodded  his  head. 


MARTA  FALMOUTH'S  ABDUCTION  IS  PLANNED     211 

"Gilmore  is  putting  a  punch  into  this  thing  that  he 
never  put  into  any  other  fight.  His  attitude  makes 
it  impossible  to  shut  off  the  advertising  and  news 
columns  of  the  other  papers." 

"Also  the  movies,"  commented  Lannigan. 

"I  could  have  controlled  the  movies,  myself,  if  I 
had  given  the  time  to  it  five  years  ago,  but  I  always 
depended  on  Farnley.  All  he's  got  is  the  story  end 
of  it,  which  has  no  influence  at  all  on  the  public.  The 
news  weekly  carries  all  the  propaganda  and  it's  right 
up  to  date." 

"Gilmore  certainly  does  let  a  lot  of  Revolutionist 
stuff  filter  through  the  pictures,"  said  Lannigan,  "and 
as  I  told  you,  it  gets  the  crowds.  Every  time  that 
Holman's  face  or  that  of  the  Falmouth  woman  shows 
up  on  the  screen  the  crowds  go  wild.  I  tell  you,  Mr. 
Morton,  it  looks  like  a  stampede  to  me." 

"Well!  don't  waste  time  thinking  you're  licked. 
It  doesn't  pay.  Think  of  a  way  to  stop  things!" 
said  Morton,  sarcastically. 

"I'm  under  orders,"  replied  Lannigan.  "You  make, 
the  suggestion.  I'm  stopped !" 

"Tell  me,"  said  Morton,  "what  is  the  most  im 
portant  factor  in  the  Revolutionist  movement,  the 
one  indispensable  thing?" 

Lannigan  thought  a  moment  before  replying.  Then 
he  said,  tensely: 

"Roger  Adams  Morton,  the  National  Chairman." 

"Right!"  commented  Morton,  Senior,  struggling 


212  REVOLT 

to  keep  a  note  of  pride  out  of  his  voice.  "And  what 
is  it  that  keeps  him  at  concert  pitch  and  working  like 
a  dynamo?" 

"The  Falmouth  woman,  of  course,"  snapped  Lan- 
nigan. 

"Right  again,"  said  Morton,  "and  as  I  told  you, 
months  ago,  there  isn't  any  scandal  that  can  be  at 
tached  to  their  friendship.  You  agree  on  that?" 

"Certainly!" 

"Well !  if  this  young  woman  is  indispensable  to  my 
son  and  he,  in  his  bull-headed  way,  is  indispensable  to 
the  Revolutionist  organization,  then  the  best  way  to 
break  things  up  is  to  attack  him  through  the  young 
woman.  Is  this  logical?" 

"Logical  enough,  but  what  does  it  get  you  being 
logical  if  you  can't  carry  out  your  logic?"  asked  Lan- 
nigan.  "We  can't  shoot  her,  and  if  we  did  we  would 
only  bring  votes  to  Holman." 

"True  enough!"  came  back  Morton.  "We  can't 
shoot  her,  but  she  can  disappear,  can't  she,  at  least 
until  after  election  day?" 

"Yes!"  answered  Lannigan,  "that  can  be  fixed. 
She's  under  a  heavy  guard,  though.  Roger  has  a 
young  army  of  huskies  with  her  everywhere  she  goes. 
Doesn't  have  anybody  at  all  protecting  Holman. 
But  won't  the  disappearance  of  the  young  woman  be 
traced  to  the  right  source  and  if  it  is,  what  do  we  get?" 

"It  all  depends  on  how  it  is  handled,"  said  Morton. 
"If  we  can  make  it  appear  that  she  has  become  dis- 


MARTA  FALMOUTH'S  ABDUCTION  IS  PLANNED     213 

gusted  with  the  campaign,  that  will  satisfy  the  pub 
lic.  The  real  thing  that  I  hope  to  accomplish,  how 
ever,  is  to  get  Roger  to  give  up  his  work  at  Head 
quarters  and  spend  his  time  hunting  for  the  young 
woman.  If  he  does  that  everything  will  go  to  smash. 
It  always  does  in  a  one-man  organization." 

Lannigan  puffed  at  his  cigar,  thoughtfully. 

"What  protection  do  I  get?"  he  asked,  finally. 

"If  we  win,  we  control  the  courts,  through  Halliday," 
said  Morton.  "If  we  lose,  I'll  make  a  personal  appeal 
to  Roger.  One  thing  I  insist  upon,  that  no  harm 
comes  to  the  young  woman." 

"I  can  guarantee  a  little  thing  like  that,"  smiled 
Lannigan. 

"Any  idea  when  you  will  be  able  to  abduct  her?' 
asked  Morton,  anxiously. 

Lannigan  took  a  note  book  from  his  pocket  and 
scanned  a  list  of  dates. 

"She  is  speaking  in  New  England,  now,"  he  said. 
"Their  schedule  calls  for  the  first  mass  meeting  in 
New  York  on  Saturday,  October  24.  They  will  hold 
it  in  the  Garden.  They  also  have  the  Garden  for  the 
following  Saturday,  which  is  three  days  before  election. 
Suppose  we  get  her  away  after  the  first  New  York 
meeting.  That  will  leave  ten  days  for  Roger  to  lose 
his  head.  If  we  took  more  time  he  might  recover. 
If  we  took  less  time  we  might  be  too  late  to  do  any 
real  damage." 

The  elder  Morton  took  out  a  handkerchief  and 


214  REVOLT 

drew  it  across  his  forehead.  To  Lannigan  it  seemed 
a  needless  thing  to  do,  as  there  wasn't  the  slightest 
humidity  in  the  air  of  the  office.  The  head  of  the 
Univesal  Trust  Company  looked  at  the  Chief  of  his 
Secrert  Service  Bureau. 

"No  bungling.    I'm  depending  on  you,  Lannigan." 

"I'll  go  through,  Mr.  Morton." 

"Where  will  you  take  her?" 

"Haven't  decided  yet,"  said  the  detective,  crisply. 
"We  will  have  to  make  it  some  place  where  the  other 
side  wouldn't  suspect." 

The  interview  closed,  with  Morton  still  wiping  off 
his  forehead. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  INVADE   NEW  YORK 

The  invasion  of  New  York  City  by  the  Revolution 
ists  was  timed  to  an  exactness  that  was  little  less  than 
uncanny  from  the  standpoint  of  psychology. 

McWilliams  had  prevailed  upon  Roger  Morton 
and  Marta  Falmouth  to  allow  a  delay  in  the  first  pub 
lic  opening  in  New  York  City. 

"Our  experience  in  the  Spring  taught  us  not  to 
trust  to  luck  again  during  the  campaign,"  he  explained. 
"It  is  generally  conceded  that  Madison  Square  Gar 
den  is  always  good  publicity.  Almost  anybody  can 
stage  a  big  meeting  at  the  Garden  and  make  it  a 
success. 

"Therefore  it  is  incumbent  upon  us  to  put  over 
such  a  phenomenal  meeting  that  it  will  be  given  full 
credit  for  size  and  enthusiasm. 

"I  have  engaged  the  Garden  for  the  two  Saturday 
nights  preceding  election  day.  My  biggest  effort  of 
the  campaign  will  be  on  the  first  of  these  two  nights." 

"Can  I  make  a  suggestion?"  asked  Marta. 

"Certainly!" 

"Would  it  be  in  keeping  with  your  plans  to  reserve 
the  entire  floor  for  men  and  the  entire  balcony  spaces 
for  women?"  asked  Marta. 

215 


216  REVOLT 

McWilliams  thought  for  a  moment.  "That  will 
suit  me,"  he  said,  finally,  "and  I  will  not  mention  it 
until  two  days  before  the  meeting." 

Roger  looked  at  his  two  colleagues,  inquisitively. 
Marta  smiled  at  him. 

"You  see  our  idea?"  she  said. 

"Can't  quite  make  it  out." 

"The  two  other  parties  are  claiming  the  votes  of 
the  women  for  themselves,"  said  Marta,  "but  neither 
of  them  has  done  anything  unusual  with  regard  to  the 
women. 

"So  far  we  have  had  a  separate  woman's  committee 
in  every  district  in  the  country.  We  have  recognized 
women  as  the  equals  of  men,  without  taking  away 
their  independence  as  women.  We  are  trying  to 
show  that  women  can  still  be  women  and  yet  be  voters. 

"In  a  big  demonstration  in  New  York,  such  as  Mr. 
McWilliams  is  arranging,  if  we  can  show  one  half  the 
Garden  occupied  by  men  and  one  half  by  women  we 
will  create  comment  and  attract  the  thoughts  of 
women.  Coupled  with  our  regular  work  it  will  have 
a  good  effect." 

"Great  idea !"  commented  the  National  Chairman. 
Then  turning  to  McWilliams  he  said,  "Go  ahead  on 
the  New  York  matter  to  suit  your  own  feeling  with 
regard  to  dates." 

"Publicity  is  a  peculiar  thing,"  said  McWilliams. 
"By  holding  back  my  New  York  meeting,  I  gain  in 
impetus  because  the  New  York  papers  are  printing 


THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  INfADE  NEW  YORK     217 

stuff  every  day  of  our  outside  meetings,  and  the  out 
side  cities,  for  the  first  time  in  years,  are  getting  a 
show  before  it  is  staged  in  New  York.  It  works  both 
ways." 

The  conference  closed  and  the  regular,  grinding, 
routine  work  of  the  Revolutionist  organization  went 
on,  as  before. 

Meetings  all  over  the  country,  both  inside  and  out 
side,  new  recruits  of  local  or  national  prominence 
being  added  all  the  time.  Every  new  addition,  re 
gardless  of  his  or  her  prominence,  received  a  telegram 
from  Roger,  thanking  him  for  the  fearless  stand  taken. 
The  personal  touch  was  manifest  all  along  the  line. 

Holman's  meetings  had  become  wild  demonstra 
tions.  Marta's  meetings,  while  less  noisy,  were  en 
thusiastic  to  a  degree.  Women,  especially,  flocked 
to  her  standard  and  gave  assurance  of  support  until 
the  very  last  minute  on  election  day. 

About  a  week  before  the  first  New  York  meeting, 
Holman  and  Marta  and  Hargraves  all  began  talking 
about  the  great  meeting  that  was  to  take  place  in  New 
York.  These  references  crept  into  the  stories  in  the 
New  York  papers. 

The  Independent  began  a  series  of  half-page  editor 
ials  calling  attention  to  the  forthcoming  meeting. 
Three  days  before  the  demonstration,  McWilliams 
turned  loose  his  advertising  guns  in  page  advertise 
ments  telling  about  it.  He  not  only  advertised  Hol 
man,  and  Hargraves  and  Marta,  but  he  advertised 


218  REVOLT 

the  biggest  band  ever  heard  in  Madison  Square  Gar 
den  and  promised  in  addition  to  all  these  attractions, 
"the  greatest  sensation  ever  known  in  American  poli 
tics." 

The  advertising  appeared  in  all  the  papers  within 
a  hundred  miles  of  New  York  as  well  as  in  the  New 
York  press.  McWilliams  was  thorough. 

The  opposition  press  became  speculative  at  once, 
as  to  "the  greatest  sensation  ever  known,"  and  sought 
to  ridicule  it,  editorially.  This  effort,  naturally,  only 
intensified  the  interest.  On  Saturday,  the  only  ques 
tion  in  the  minds  of  greater  New  York's  ten  million 
inhabitants  was,  "What  is  the  big  sensation  to  be 
sprung  at  Madison  Square  Garden  tonight?" 

Even  Roger,  who  had  come  to  accept  all  of  Mc 
Williams'  publicity  without  question,  was  interested 
to  that  point  where  he  felt  it  incumbent  to  ask  what 
form  the  sensation  was  to  take.  He  put  the  question 
to  McWilliams,  casually,  at  the  noon  meeting  that 
was  to  arrange  the  schedule  for  the  evening. 

"I  see  you  have  9.15  to  9.30  for  the  big  sensation," 
said  Roger.  "Is  it  something  that  we  can  discuss?" 

For  the  first  time  since  he  had  taken  charge  of  the 
publicity  of  the  Revolutionist  party,  McWilliams  did 
not  give  a  direct  answer  to  a  direct  question. 

"I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  let  the  sensation  be  a 
surprise  to  you  as  well  as  the  audience,  Mr.  Morton," 
he  said.  "I  assume  full  responsibility  for  my  de 
cision." 


THE  REVOLUTIONISTS  INPADE  NEW   YORK    219 

Roger  smiled  and  then  went  to  a  deferred  luncheon 
with  Marta.  The  arrangements  called  for  Holman, 
Hargraves,  Marta,  Roger  and  Judge  Pendleton  of  the 
New  York  Supreme  Court,  who  was  to  act  as  presiding 
officer,  to  get  through  the  crowd  with  the  aid  of  the 
police  reserves  at  7.30.  They  were  to  meet  at  the 
Parkway  at  seven. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  a  mass  of  people  had  gathered 
at  every  entrance  to  the  Garden.  McWilliams  had 
arranged  for  overflow  meetings  at  every  available 
space  and  for  police  reserves  to  the  limit  of  the  de 
partment.  His  precautions  were  well  taken,  but  by 
six  o'clock  it  became  evident  that  the  only  safe  thing 
to  do  was  to  open  the  doors  and  distribute  the  crowd 
inside  as  well  as  possible,  so  that  the  congestion  on 
the  outside  might  be  relieved.  The  captain  of  the 
precinct  gave  the  order  and  the  stampede  began. 

An  army  of  heavy-weight  ushers,  with  scores  of 
stentorian  voiced  megaphone  men  giving  directions, 
managed  to  seat  the  men  on  the  floor  and  turn  the 
tide  of  women  up  into  the  balconies  and  galleries. 

The  outside  doors  were  shut,  after  all  standing 
room  in  the  aisles  and  on  the  stage  was  occupied. 
All  efforts  to  explain  to  the  crowd  on  the  outside  that 
the  hall  was  filled  produced  no  effect.  The  mob 
merely  yelled,  "Let  'em  speak  outside!"  and  waited 
patiently  for  the  overflow  meetings. 

By  arranging  with  a  caterer  to  provide  a  supper 
for  the  newspaper  men,  McWilliams  had  induced 


220  REVOLT 

the  editors  to  assign  reporters  to  the  hall  early  in  the 
afternoon.  His  judgment  was  commented  upon  by 
the  reporters  —  that  is,  his  judgment  as  an  orderer 
of  good  food. 

When  the  car  containing Holman,  Hargraves,  Marta, 
Roger  and  the  Chairman  of  the  meeting  came 
within  ten  blocks  of  the  Square,  it  was  stopped  by  the 
police. 

"Everything  blocked  on  every  side  of  the  Square. 
Got  to  go  around,"  he  said. 

"This  is  Mr.  Holman's  car,"  explained  the  chauffeur. 
"Got  to  go  through." 

The  policeman  whistled  as  if  for  a  signal.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  mounted  squad  came  to  the  rescue,  scatter 
ing  the  crowd.  Then  commenced  the  jam  through  to 
the  Garden  entrance. 

By  pleading,  charging  the  crowd  in  force  and  using 
every  possible  method  that  would  gain  a  foot  or  two 
of  distance,  the  car,  preceded  by  the  mounted  squad, 
worked  its  way.  It  was  just  eight  o'clock  as  they 
reached  the  stage-door  entrance.  From  the  hall 
could  be  heard  the  thunder  of  music,  showing  that 
the  band  was  on  the  job. 

Calm  as  an  iceberg,  Holman  turned  to  the  man  in 
charge  of  the  mounted  squad. 

"Pretty  fair  sized  crowd,  Lieutenant,"  he  said,  as 
he  alighted  from  his  car. 

"Biggest  that  New  York  ever  saw,  Mr.  Holman. 


TEE  REVOLUTIONISTS  INVADE  NEW   YORK     221 

It  must  be  wonderful  to  be  able  to  draw  a  crowd  like 
this." 

"Wonderful  to  have  a  cause  that  will  attract  them, 
Lieutenant,"  said  Holman,  modestly. 

As  Holman  and  Hargraves  followed  the  Chairman 
to  the  front  of  the  stage,  the  noise  was  deafening. 
The  band  played  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  and  a 
magnificent  silk  flag  dropped  from  the  roof  and  hung 
over  the  stage.  Roger  was  holding  tightly  on  to 
Marta's  arm,  as  he  guided  her  to  a  seat. 

"I've  got  to  watch  you,  personally,  tonight,  my 
dear,"  he  whispered  to  her. 

"I've  never  been  afraid,"  she  replied,  "but  I  took 
every  precaution  because  you  wished  it." 

"Only  one  more  week  and  then  we  will  know  whether 
the  people  are  willing  to  go  ahead  in  the  same  old, 
careless  way  or  take  the  government  back  into  their 
own  hands,"  said  Roger,  looking  at  the  vast  ocean  of 
faces  in  front  of  him. 

"The  people  can  always  be  trusted,"  said  Marta, 
then  she  grasped  him  by  the  wrist,  as  if  to  caution  him 
against  any  further  conversation  and  they  both  turned 
their  attention  to  Judge  Pendleton,  who  was  now 
addressing  the  audience. 

"They  assured  me,"  said  the  Judge,  "that  if  I  spoke 
at  this  meeting  tonight,  I  would  be  taking  chances 
with  my  political  future. 

"My  answer  was  that  I  had  no  political  ambition 
and  that  I  would  be  here  on  the  platform.  After 


222  REVOLT 

seeing  the  greatest  crowd  on  the  outside  of  this  edifice 
that  New  York  ever  gathered  together  and  after  look 
ing  at  this  audience  inside,  I  now  say  to  those  who 
talk  about  political  futures  that  if  I  were  an  ambitious 
man  and  thought  only  of  myself  I  wouldn't  dare  to 
miss  being  here  tonight." 


CHAPTER  XXV 

ROGER  MORTON  SPEAKS  TO  THE  PEOPLE 

Judge  Pendleton  lost  very  little  time  in  introducing 
Hargraves,  of  New  York,  the  candidate  for  Vice- 
President,  explaining  that  he  would  take  up  but  thirty 
minutes  and  then  try  to  speak  to  the  great  assemblage 
on  the  outside.  Hargraves  delivered  his  regular  ad 
dress,  polished  by  innumerable  rehearsals  from  one 
end  of  the  country  to  the  other. 

He  was  followed  by  Marta,  who  was  also  allotted 
a  shorter  time  than  usual.  Her  reception  was  most 
flattering  and  as  her  musical  voice  filled  the  vast 
auditorium  and  rang  true  into  the  farthest  corners 
of  the  topmost  gallery,  the  effect  was  most  inspiring. 

Without  a  break,  piling  argument  upon  argument, 
she  made  her  entire  plea  one  for  the  votes  of  the 
women  of  New  York.  She  closed  in  an  appeal  to 
womanhood  and  all  those  things  for  which  womanhood 
stands  in  America. 

As  sbfe  finished  and  took  her  seat  beside  Roger, 
the  latter  started  to  escort  her  to  the  stage  exit,  evi 
dently  thinking  that  she  was  to  speak  to  the  outside 
throng. 

"Just  a  minute!"  she  said,  placing  a  detaining  hand 
223 


224  REVOLT 

on  his  arm  and  holding  him  in  his  seat,  "here  comes 
the  promised  sensation  of  the  evening.  Listen!" 

Roger  turned  to  Judge  Pendleton,  who  was  now 
invoking  quiet  on  the  part  of  the  audience.  Finally 
the  applause  subsided  and  the  Judge  began  to  speak. 

"My  friends,  every  great  movement  in  history  that 
succeeded  had  more  than  one  leader.  Every  move 
ment  had  its  nominal  leader  and  its  equally  important 
leader,  who  did  his  work  on  the  inside.  Washington 
was  our  leader  in  the  Revolution  but  it  was  Franklin 
at  the  Court  of  France  who  practically  financed  the 
war  for  us. 

"In  the  great  Revolution  in  American  politics,  of 
which  tonight's  big  demonstration  is  but  a  slight  in 
dication,  we  have  more  than  one  leader.  We  have 
the  peerless  Holman  who  will  soon  address  you.  We 
also  have  the  other  leaders  whom  you  see  on  the  plat 
form,  the  candidates  for  Governor,  for  Congress  and 
all  the  state  offices.  We  have  the  young  woman  who 
has  just  spoken.  All  these  you  know.  You  have 
heard  them  speak. 

"But  the  Revolutionist  party  has  another  leader, 
a  radiomatic  force  in  organization,  a  man  who  has 
staked  his  entire  fortune  of  over  a  hundred  millions 
of  good  American  dollars  upon  the  success  of  this 
movement,  a  man  who  broke  away  from  his  family 
because  he  thought  his  family  had  the  wrong  idea  of 
pure  democracy,  a  man  so  modest  that  he  has  never 
spoken  in  public,  never  expressed  the  slightest  desire 


for  public  office,  a  hardworking,  conscientious,  clean- 
living,  sterling  young  American  patriot  who  is  going 
to  make  his  first  public  speech  to  the  people  of  his  own 
state,  tonight. 

"It  gives  me  great  pleasure  —  without  having  con 
sulted  him  before  so  doing  —  to  present  to  this  vast 
assemblage  the  one  unspoiled,  unselfish  multi-million 
aire  in  American  public  life  —  the  sensation  of  this 
campaign,  Roger  Adams  Morton  of  New  York." 

As  Roger  had  caught  the  drift  of  the  speaker's  re 
marks  and  realized  that  he  was  to  be  called  upon,  his 
legs  became  numb,  he  turned  as  white  almost  as  his 
collar,  and  nervously  clutched  at  Marta  as  though 
she  could  save  him. 

"Don't,  for  God's  sake,  don't  let  him  make  me 
speak!"  he  whispered,  but  his  voice  was  husky  and 
his  throat  dry. 

He  felt  Marta's  hand  clasp  him  firmly  by  the  wrist. 
His  eyes  were  drawn  to  hers.  Steadily  she  looked 
back  at  his  pleading  glance. 

"Tell  them  what  you  think  and  don't  talk  too  long! 
Speak  slowly  and  distinctly,  "  she  said. 

His  head  seemed  to  clear.  He  stood  upon  his  feet. 
Without  any  apparent  effort  he  seemed  to  walk  to 
the  front  of  the  platform  and  face  the  audience.  Al 
though  he  had  been  watching  this  same  crowd  for 
over  an  hour  he  now  saw  them  for  the  first  time  in  a 
mass,  a  seething,  waving  commotion  of  voice,  hubbub, 
shrieks,  cat-calls,  laughter  and  always  the  clapping 


226  REVOLT 

of  hands.  The  band  played  "Fair  Harvard,"  and  the 
crowd  went  wilder  still.  Then  a  strain  of  "For  He's 
a  Jolly  Good  Fellow,"  followed  by  "Auld  Lang  Syne." 

He  felt  himself  floating  off  into  space  as  if  in  a  dream. 
The  music  stopped.  The  audience  seemed  to  have 
calmed  down.  He  could  feel  the  stillness  as  if  it  were 
the  chill  of  a  winter's  night  up  at  his  bungalow  in 
the  Adirondacks.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  not  a  word 
came  forth.  And  yet  he  heard  somebody  saying, 
"Mr.  Chairman  and  fellow  Revolutionists."  A  burst 
of  applause  and  laughter  came  to  punctuate  this  in 
troduction.  He  was  talking  after  all,  talking  without 
any  effort  and  he  knew  everybody  could  hear  what  he 
said.  Silence  came  again. 

"For  once  a  man  can  face  an  audience  in  America 
and  truthfully  say  that  he  didn't  know  he  was  going 
to  be  called  upon  to  speak.  I  am  speaking  in  public 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  I  crave  your  indulgence 
in  my  effort. 

"The  Chairman  has  said  that  I  have  pledged  my 
entire  personal  fortune  for  the  cause  of  the  Revolu 
tionist  party.  I  regret  that  what  I  have  to  offer  is 
so  small. 

"On  the  success  of  the  Revolutionist  party  ticket, 
one  week  from  next  Tuesday,  depends  the  success  of 
America  as  a  democracy.  There  is  no  dodging  the 
issue.  We  either  become  a  perpetual  monetary  mon 
archy  or  retain  our  democracy,  within  the  next  ten 
days.  If  this  Revolt  does  not  succeed  then  is  de- 


Fellow  Revolutionists 


ROGER  MORTON  SPEAKS  TO   THE  PEOPLE     227 

mocracy  —  government  of,  by  and  for  the  people  — 
doomed  forever  in  America. 

"My  ideas  of  democracy  are  at  variance  with  the 
presen*  day  teachings  of  the  orators  on  the  Demo 
cratic  and  Republican  platforms.  They  prate  much 
of  individual  freedom,  the  rights  of  the  people,  and  by 
these  and  other  high-sounding  phrases  try  to  befog 
issues. 

"They  even  specify  some  of  the  'rights'  that  they 
claim  the  Revolutionists  are  seeking  to  take  away 
from  certain  privileged  classes.  They  use  the  same 
terms  that  the  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  intoxi 
cating  liquor  used  twenty  years  ago  when  they  spoke 
of  the  'rights  of  the  individual  to  drink'  as  incidental 
to  a  democracy.  Time  has  shown  the  fallacy  of  that 
so-called  argument. 

"I  offer  a  definition  for  democracy  tonight,  a  new 
definition,  one  that  has  come  to  me  during  the  last 
few  months.  My  conception  of  the  ideal  democracy 
is  that  government  in  which  men  and  women  are 
willing  to  sacrifice  their  individual  rights  at  all  times 
for  the  greater  good  of  the  greater  number. 

"Continual  harping  about  one's  own  rights  breeds 
individual  autocracy.  A  desire  to  waive  one's  own 
rights  for  the  benefit  of  somebody  else  will  eventually 
tend  more  firmly  to  establish  everybody's  rights. 
The  right  to  do  wrong  is  not  an  honest  right.  Rights 
and  wrongs  do  not  harmonize. 

"The  greatest  right  that  any  American  has,  and  I 


228  REVOLT 

consider  it  the  only  individual  right  worth  fighting 
for,  is  the  right  to  help  his  fellow  citizens,  without 
fear  and  without  restraint. 

"I  ask  no  higher  privilege  for  myself  and  I  am  mak 
ing  this  fight  with  you  for  the  preservation  of  the 
right  to  all  men  —  while  this  Republic  shall  live  —  to 
serve  their  fellow  citizens.  In  no  finer  way  can  any 
man  insure  to  himself  the  best  of  life,  the  greatest  of 
liberty,  and  in  no  other  pursuit  can  he  attain  a  more 
lasting  happiness.  I  thank  you  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart." 

He  ended  his  speech  abruptly  and  bowed.  The 
audience  started  to  applaud.  Somebody  on  the  stage 
proposed  "three  cheers  for  the  millionaire  democrat." 
Roger  sat  down,  but  the  Chairman  pulled  him  to  the 
front  of  the  stage  again  for  more  cheering. 

The  sensation  had  made  a  hit.  The  Chairman 
began  to  speak  again.  Holman  was  about  to  be  in 
troduced.  Roger  turned  to  Marta. 

Tears  were  in  her  eyes,  but  she  was  smiling  through 
them.  He  leaned  over  close  to  her. 

"You  were  magnificent.  I  am  proud  of  you,"  she 
said,  enthusiastically.  "Now  we  will  go  and  speak 
to  the  crowds  on  the  outside.  You  must  speak  again 
on  the  outside." 

She  was  pulling  him  to  the  rear  of  the  platform. 
Nobody  noticed  them.  The  pent-up  emotions  of 
twenty-five  thousand  men  and  women  were  being  un 
loosed  in  a  mighty  welcome  to  the  leader  of  a  great 


ROGER  MORTON  SPEAKS  TO  THE  PEOPLE     229 

cause.  Holman  was  facing  his  audience  and  smiling 
confidently  into  the  faces  of  his  friends.  The  real 
conquest  of  the  Empire  state  was  about  to  begin. 

Marta  and  Roger,  with  hands  firmly  clasped,  pushed 
their  way  out  to  the  crowd  that  was  waiting  patiently 
to  hear  the  speakers  on  the  outside. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

MARTA  FALMOUTH  DISAPPEARS 

The  Madison  Square  meeting  did  not  close  until 
midnight.  Even  at  that  hour  there  were  hundreds 
of  thousands  massed  in  the  Square,  itself,  vainly  try 
ing  to  hear  the  closing  words  of  Holman's  seventh 
speech  of  the  evening.  He  finished  as  the  chimes  in 
the  Metropolitan  tower  announced  that  Sunday 
morning  had  begun. 

Marta  and  Roger  were  waiting  for  him  in  a  closed 
car  that  had  jammed  its  way  up  to  the  stand.  He 
said  "Good  bye"  to  his  audience,  and  with  the  aid  of 
the  police,  entered  the  car,  which  wormed  its  way 
over  on  to  Fifth  Avenue  and  then  started  for  the  Grand 
Central  Station,  where  Holman's  special  train  was 
waiting  to  carry  him  into  the  West. 

Although  he  was  throat-weary  and  his  entire  body 
was  throbbing  with  the  nervous  ache  of  suspense  that 
comes  from  hours  of  speaking  to  vast  crowds,  the  old 
Holman  smile  was  in  evidence. 

"Great  speech  you  made,  Roger,"  he  said.  "For 
a  moment  I  thought  you  were  going  to  have  stage 
fright." 

"Stage  fright!"  said  Morton.  "Believe  me,  Dan, 

230 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  DISAPPEARS  231 

if  stage  fright  is  anything  worse  than  the  fright  I  had 
I'm  mighty  glad  I  didn't  have  it." 

"Why,  I'm  surprised,  Roger,"  said  Holman.  "I 
thought  you  talked  like  an  old-timer." 

At  the  Pershing  Square  entrance  to  the  station, 
Holman  alighted  from  the  car  and  insisted  that  Marta 
and  Roger  go  to  their  rest. 

"I  know  it's  Sunday,  but  we're  facing  the  last  week 
of  our  fight,"  he  said.  "I'll  be  sound  asleep  in  ten 
minutes  and  I  want  you  two  people  to  get  all  the  rest 
you  can.  Maybe  next  Sunday  we  won't  be  able  to 
sleep.  Good  night.  I'll  be  back  on  schedule  for 
next  Saturday's  meeting." 

He  shook  hands  with  both  of  them  and  then  grace 
fully  walked  toward  his  train.  They  both  watched 
him. 

"A  bundle  of  energy,"  commented  Roger. 

"And  honest,"  said  Marta. 

"Will  you  join  me  in  a  light  supper  at  the  Parkway?" 
asked  Roger. 

"With  pleasure,"  said  Marta.  "I  haven't  really 
seen  you  for  two  days." 

After  ordering  supper  in  a  quiet  corner  of  the  big 
dining  room,  Roger  nervously  leaned  across  the  table 
and  said: 

"Do  you  believe  in  psychology  to  the  extent  that 
you  can  anticipate  trouble?" 

"My  conception  of  psychology  is  that  our  mental 


232  REVOLT 

attitudes  are  often  dominated  by  things  already  trans 
piring/'  replied  Marta. 

"Then  if  I  am  unduly  disturbed  in  my  mind  it  is 
because  of  some  activity  in  somebody  else's  brain 
that  is  telepathically  in  touch  with  mine?" 

"If  it  is  a  positive  response,  yes.  If  it  is  a  mere 
disturbance  it  may  be  caused  by  nervousness.  You 
have  been  working  very  hard,"  answered  Marta. 

"But  it  didn't  start  until  an  hour  ago,"  persisted 
Roger.  "During  the  meeting,  I  felt  great.  Even 
while  I  was  speaking  to  the  crowd,  outside,  after  my 
maiden  effort  on  the  inside,  I  felt  good.  But  within 
an  hour  I've  had  a  mental  chill.  I  simply  can't  throw 
it  off." 

"I  don't  see  how  you  have  avoided  mental  disaster, 
long  ago,"  suggested  Marta.  "You  have  furnished 
mentality  to  all  of  us.  Even  McWilliams  comes  to 
you  for  suggestions.  Stop  thinking  of  the  campaign 
and  think  of  something  else." 

"There  is  only  one  other  thing  I  care  to  think  about 
and  you  know  what  that  is,"  said  Roger,  tenderly. 

"I  know  what  you  mean,  and  if  it  pleases  you  to 
talk  about  it  we  will  do  so." 

And  Roger,  with  all  restraint  lifted,  told  the  story 
of  his  great  love  to  the  girl  who  had  inspired  it. 

Shortly  after  one,  he  escorted  Marta  to  her  elevator 
and  left  for  his  rooms  at  the  Harvard  Club.  To  all 
outward  appearances  he  didn't  have  a  care  in  the 
world.  As  he  entered  his  car  in  the  Parkway  vesti- 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  DISAPPEARS  233 

bule  he  failed  to  notice  a  man  who  was  evidently 
watching  him.  The  watcher  followed  the  disappear 
ance  of  the  car  toward  the  Avenue  and  noticed  the 
exact  time  by  his  watch.  Then  he  entered  the  Park 
way's  main  office  floor. 

After  looking  carelessly  around  the  room,  he  finally 
crossed  to  the  side  near  the  bank  of  elevators  and  sat 
down  beside  a  man  who  was  reading  a  newspaper 
with  unnecessary  intenseness. 

"Just  gone,  chief,"  he  said  to  the  reader. 

"What  time?"  asked  Lannigan,  from  behind  a  set 
of  whiskers. 

"Twenty  minutes  past  one,"  answered  the  assistant. 

"Look  around  carefully  and  see  if  the  entire  line-up 
is  ready!"  ordered  Lannigan. 

The  assistant  stood  up,  yawned  as  if  about  to  re 
tire  and  then  walked  down  the  length  of  the  room. 
The  hour  was  a  quiet  one  for  the  Parkway  and  there 
were  but  a  few  people  present.  Two  men  in  the 
writing  room,  an  old  man  and  woman  who  had  just 
finished  a  late  supper  and  were  discussing  the  details, 
and  a  few  other  late-retiring  guests  who  appeared  to 
be  simply  waiting  until  they  reached  a  "good  night'' 
decision,  were  the  only  people  in  evidence.  The  as 
sistant  continued  out  to  the  vestibule  and  noted  a 
big  limousine  drawn  up  on  the  farther  side  of  the 
street.  He  returned  to  Lannigan. 

"All  set!"  he  said,  in  a  whisper. 

Lannigan  looked  at  his  watch. 


234  REVOLT 

"Shoot!"  he  said,  and  the  assistant  walked  to  the 
one  open  elevator  and  stepped  inside.  He  gave  the 
signal  for  the  floor  above  that  occupied  by  Marta 
Falmouth.  He  alighted  leisurely  and  turned  to  the 
left.  With  the  closing  of  the  door  he  made  a  dash 
down  the  carpeted  corridor  and  swiftly  decended  the 
stairway  to  the  floor  below.  A  few  seconds  later  he 
was  ringing  the  bell  of  the  door  entering  into  the  re 
ception  hall  of  Marta's  suite. 

The  matron  answered,  after  a  slight  delay.  Seeing 
a  man  at  the  door,  without  the  hotel  uniform  on  him, 
she  didn't  throw  the  door  open. 

"What  do  you  wish?"  she  asked. 

"Has  Miss  Falmouth  retired?"  asked  Lannigan's 
assistant. 

"Who  wants  to  know?"  asked  the  matron,  suspi 
ciously. 

"This  is  very  important,"  answered  the  other. 
"Nobody  must  be  alarmed.  Mr.  Morton  has  been 
injured  and  has  gone  to  the  Washington  Hospital 
on  6oth  Street.  He  insists  that  Miss  Falmouth  come 
there  at  once,  without  letting  anybody  know.  He 
doesn't  want  the  story  in  the  papers." 

The  matron  had  listened  intently. 

"Just  a  minute,  please.  I'll  speak  to  Miss  Fal 
mouth,"  she  said,  at  the  same  time  shutting  the  door. 

The  detective  waited,  keeping  his  eyes  on  the  look 
out  for  any  employee  who  might  think  his  actions  in 
the  corridor  worthy  of  investigation.  The  Parkway's 


MARTA  FALMOUTH  DISAPPEARS  235 

floor  clerk  had  left  her  desk  at  one  o'clock,  as  usual. 
The  corridor  was  deserted.  The  thickness  of  the 
door  made  it  impossible  for  the  waiting  detective  to 
hear  anything  that  might  be  going  on  inside. 

After  two  minutes  had  elapsed  the  door  to  Marta's 
apartments  opened.  The  matron,  who  opened  it, 
said,  "Step  inside."  The  man  on  the  outside  did  so. 

Marta,  herself,  very  pale  and  evidently  very  agi 
tated,  stepped  up  to  him. 

"What  is  it?  Please  tell  me!"  she  demanded, 
nervously. 

"Mr.  Morton's  car  was  wrecked  at  the  corner  of 
Fifty-sixth  street.  His  chauffeur  rushed  him  to  the 
Washington  Hospital.  He  is  conscious,  but  badly 
hurt.  He  asked  me  to  come  here  and  get  you,  with 
out  letting  anybody  know.  I'm  one  of  the  internes 
at  the  Hospital."  The  detective  opened  his  coat  and 
disclosed  a  white  coat  underneath  it,  with  the  letters 
W.H.  on  the  collar. 

"I  didn't  have  time  to  change,"  he  said  in  explana 
tion. 

"We  must  go  at  once!"  said  Marta. 

"Phone  for  the  car!"  she  continued,  turning  to  the 
matron. 

"Don't  do  that,  Miss  Falmouth!"  said  the  messen 
ger.  "You  must  go  quietly,  so  Mr.  Morton  says.  He 
seems  to  be  afraid  of  some  story  hi  the  newspapers. 
I  have  the  superintendent's  car." 

"We  will  go  in  that,  then,"  said  Marta. 


236  REFOLT 

"Have  you  a  thick  veil  and  a  dark  wrap  of  some 
kind  that  they  won't  recognize  in  the  office  as  we  go 
out,"  suggested  Lannigan's  assistant. 

In  answer,  Marta  hurriedly  went  into  another  room 
and  ten  seconds  later  returned,  almost  muffled. 
Nervously  she  grabbed  the  detective  by  the  arm  and 
then  they  walked  to  the  elevator.  As  they  passed 
Lannigan,  on  the  office  floor,  the  assistant  opened 
and  closed  his  right  hand. 

Lannigan  walked  down  the  room  behind  them. 
Marta  and  her  escort  crossed  the  street  and  entered 
the  waiting  car,  which  started  slowly.  Lannigan 
walked  along  on  the  hotel  side  for  a  block.  The  car 
had  stopped.  He  crossed  the  street  and  as  the  door 
opened  he  stepped  in  and  the  door  closed  with  a  bang. 

In  the  car,  with  her  head  leaning  up  against  the 
cushion  as  though  she  were  sound  asleep,  was  the 
leader  of  the  Women's  Department  of  the  Revolution 
ist  Movement. 

"Good  work!"  said  Lannigan. 

"Damn  good  work,  chief,"  replied  his  assistant. 
"She  surely  was  all  broken  up  with  the  news." 

"Naturally!"  commented  Lannigan,  "but  wait 
till  young  Morton  gets  on  to  it." 

The  car  silently  sped  on  to  its  destination. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
MARTA  DEFIES  THE  MONEY   POWER 

John  Paine  Morton  sat  in  his  big  library  and  stared 
at  the  magnificent  clock  that  graced  the  corner  of  the 
room.  He  was  impatient.  His  face  twitched  nerv 
ously  and  he  was  needlessly  puffing  at  his  cigar  which 
hadn't  been  lit  for  over  five  minutes.  The  clock 
showed  half-past  one.  As  the  chimes  rang  out  to 
tell  the  half  hour,  Morton  jumped  from  his  chair, 
excitedly.  Then  he  resumed  his  seat,  muttering  to 
himself. 

Finally,  he  walked  to  a  door  leading  from  the  li 
brary  and  opened  it.  He  spoke  to  someone  evidently 
seated  just  inside  the  adjoining  room. 

"She'll  be  here  very  soon,  now!" 

"All  right,  sir,"  answered  a  woman's  voice. 

Morton  returned  to  his  seat  and  resumed  his  silent 
communication  with  the  clock.  It  was  ten  minutes 
later  that  one  of  the  library  doors  swung  open  and 
two  men  entered,  carrying  a  senseless  woman  between 
them.  They  carried  the  form  over  to  a  couch  and 
placed  it  in  a  reclining  position.  Morton  walked 
over  to  them.  He  looked  down  at  the  form.  A 
heavy  veil  hid  the  face  completely. 

237 


238  REVOLT 

"Any  trouble,  Lannigan?"  he  said,  to  one  of  the 
men. 

"There  she  is,  Mr.  Morton.  She  ought  to  be  out 
of  the  dope  in  about  ten  minutes,"  replied  Lannigan. 

Morton  leaned  over  the  figure  and  nervously  raised 
the  veil  clear  of  the  face.  He  gave  a  startled  look 
at  the  two  men  who  had  brought  her  in. 

"What's  matter?"  asked  Lannigan. 

"She  is  so  beautiful  she  almost  takes  my  breath 
away,"  replied  the  billionaire. 

"I  forgot  you'd  never  seen  her  before.  Her  picture 
don't  show  her  up.  Yes,  she's  a  handsome  woman 
all  right,  and  she  surely  can  hold  an  audience." 

"How  do  you  think  she'll  take  this  enforced  de 
tention?"  asked  Morton. 

"Don't  know.  Don't  care.  It  isn't  how  she  takes 
it  that  counts.  It's  how  it  affects  the  campaign," 
replied  Lannigan. 

"Will  it  have  the  effect  we  hope?"  inquired  Morton, 
putting  the  burden  upon  his  head  Secret  Service  man. 

"It's  your  own  suggestion,"  neatly  parried  Lannigan. 
"Don't  ask  me  how  it's  going  to  affect  a  campaign 
like  this.  I  s'pose  you  heard  of  tonight's  meeting?" 

"Yes!"  answered  Morton.  "I  had  two  confidential 
reports  at  midnight.  They  tell  me  that  it  was  the 
most  stupendous  thing  ever  seen  in  New  York." 

"Right,  and  then  a  bit  more,"  affirmed  Lannigan. 

He  put  his  hand  on  Marta's  forehead.    Then  he 


MARTA   DEFIES  THE  MONEY  POWER          239 

lifted  one  of  her  eyelids.  The  lips  moved.  Lannigan 
put  his  head  over  and  listened.  He  smiled. 

"Sounds  as  if  she  was  saying  'Roger','3  he  said. 

"Lannigan,  you're  getting  sentimental,"  commented 
Morton.  "Can  you  wake  her  up?" 

"I  think  so.     Get  me  a  little  water!" 

"I've  got  a  nurse,  outside." 

The  billionaire  stepped  to  the  door  and  opened  it. 
He  spoke  to  the  woman  waiting  just  outside. 

"Bring  some  cold  water,  please!" 

The  woman  returned  with  a  pitcher  of  water,  in  a 
few  seconds.  Lannigan  applied  some  of  it  to  Marta's 
face  and  temples,  with  a  towel.  Under  the  treatment 
the  eyes  soon  opened  and  looked  around  wonderingly. 

Morton  looked  at  her  intently,  evidently  determined 
to  assume  full  responsibility  for  the  situation. 

"You  are  Miss  Marta  Falmouth,"  he  said. 

"Where  is  Roger  Morton?"  asked  Marta,  unheed 
ing  the  reference  to  herself. 

"I  am  John  Paine  Morton,"  continued  the  financier. 
"I  have  had  you  brought  here  because  you  are  a  men 
ace  to  the  nation.  Do  you  understand  —  a  menace 
to  the  nation?" 

"Isn't  Roger  hurt?"  asked  the  girl,  paying  no  at 
tention  to  the  question  put  by  the  billionaire. 

"No,  he  isn't  hurt,"  snapped  Morton,  angrily. 
"I  want  you  to  understand  why  I  had  you  brought 
here  .  ." 


240  REVOLT 

"Thank  God!"  said  the  girl,  fervently,  and  then 
she  fainted  and  her  head  fell  back  on  to  the  couch. 

"Well!  of  all  the  ...  ,"  sputtered  Morton.  "She 
doesn't  pay  the  least  damn  bit  of  attention  to  what 
I'm  saying.  Give  her  some  more  cold  water!" 

This  time  the  nurse  gave  Marta  the  treatment  that 
brought  her  out  of  her  faint.  Morton  started  again  to 
talk  with  her. 

"I  want  you  to  understand  what  I'm  saying,"  he 

said.     "I  am  John  Paine  Morton.    I  had  you  brought 

» 

A  brilliant  light  now  flashed  into  the  eyes  of  the 
young  woman.  She  sat  bolt  upright,  looking  from 
one  to  the  other  of  the  four  who  were  watching  her. 

"Yes!  Mr.  Morton,  I  understand,"  she  said,  calmly. 
"You  had  this  man  lie  to  me  and  give  me  a  dose  of 
chloroform  so  that  I  could  be  brought  here.  You 
evidently  think  that  it  will  have  some  effect  on  the 
campaign. 

"Well!  it  will  have  an  effect  on  the  campaign  but 
not  the  effect  you  expect  or  want.  It  will  help  the 
cause  of  the  Revolutionists." 

"I  don't  see  ...  "  sputtered  Morton,  but  Marta 
interrupted  him. 

"You  don't  see  anything  but  your  own  selfish  in 
terests.  That's  what's  the  matter  with  you  and  the 
other  plutocrats  who  are  associated  with  you. 

"You  don't  imagine  for  one  minute  that  the  Revo 
lutionist  Campaign  is  so  poorly  organized  that  it  de- 


MART  A  DEFIES  THE  MONEY  POWER          241 

pends  on  me  or  even  on  Mr.  Holman  to  make  it  a 
success.  We  are  only  incidental.  It  is  the  cause 
itself  that  is  going  to  triumph,  within  the  next  ten 
days." 

"How  about  Roger?  Isn't  he  indispensable  to  the 
cause?"  persisted  Morton,  taken  off  his  feet  by  Marta's 
spirited  attack. 

"More  so  than  I  am  or  anybody  else  in  the  move 
ment,"  said  Marta.  "But  you  haven't  abducted  him, 
have  you?"  she  inquired,  anxiously. 

"No  need  to  do  so,"  said  Morton,  smiling.  "We 
have  you,  which  is  better." 

Marta  said  nothing. 

"In  fact,"  went  on  the  financier,  "we  decided  that 
if  we  could  keep  you  out  of  the  campaign  for  the  few 
remaining  days  we  would  come  pretty  near  to  dis 
organizing  it. 

"You  don't  imagine,  for  a  minute,  that  Roger 
Morton  is  going  to  pay  any  attention  to  the  Revolu 
tionist  Campaign  if  you  can't  be  found  and  he  thinks 
you  are  in  danger?" 

"I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  replied  Marta,  slowly. 
"I  knew  you  were  unscrupulous,  that  you  had  a  low 
standard  of  politics  and  business,  but  I  didn't  think 
you  could  sink  so  low  as  to  use  the  pure  love  of  a  man 
for  a  woman  to  your  base  ends.  I  see  now  that  it 
will  be  hard  for  your  son  to  do  his  work.  There  is 
only  one  thing  that  I  can't  understand." 

Morton  looked  at  the  three  others.    He  knew  he 


242  REVOLT 

wasn't  making  much  of  a  hit  in  the  interchange  of 
views.  But  he  took  a  chance. 

"Well,  Miss  Falmouth.  Tell  me !  What  is  it  you 
can't  understand?'" 

"I  can't  understand  how  such  a  wonderful  man  as 
Roger  Morton  can  be  the  son  of  a  man  like  you,"  she 
said,  bitterly. 

"Well!  he  is,"  said  Morton,  pettishly,  "and  he  isn't 
behaving  himself.  His  plans  are  designed  to  wreck 
the  stability  of  this  nation.  He  and  you  and  Holman 
and  all  the  crew  are  crazy,  starting  this  Revoution- 
ist  movement.  Everything  was  running  along 
smoothly  and  you  folks  bunk  Roger  into  the  plan 
and  get  him  to  finance  it  to  the  tune  of  a  hundred 
million.  Why,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Roger,  the  whole 
scheme  would  have  died  long  ago.  Isn't  that  so?" 

"He  has  behaved  magnificently,"  said  Marta. 

"Magnificently,  Hell,"  shrieked  Morton.  "Mu 
nificently  is  what  you  mean.  Well!  he's  done  all 
the  damage,  without  thinking  of  how  it  was  going  to 
hurt  me.  I'm  going  to  return  the  compliment.  I'm 
going  to  hurt  him." 

"How?"  asked  Marta. 

"I'm  going  to  keep  you  here  until  the  campaign 
is  over.  You  have  my  word,  little  as  you  may  think 
of  it,  that  no  physical  harm  will  come  to  you  while 
here.  You'll  have  to  look  after  your  mental  health, 
yourself." 

"That  is  very  considerate  of  you,"  said  Marta, 


MARTA  DEFIES  THE  MONEY  POWER  243 

sarcastically.  "Please  don't  trouble  yourself  over 
my  mental  state.  Am  I  to  retire  now?" 

"What?  You  want  to  go  to  bed?  You  can't  sleep, 
can  you?"  asked  Morton,  in  surprise. 

"I  expect  to  have  a  delightful  rest,  Mr.  Morton. 
I  know  that  I  am  safe  because  you  haven't  courage 
enough  to  harm  me  and  I  have  every  confidence  that 
Roger  will  secure  my  release  very  shortly." 

"Well!  he  won't.  Get  that  out  of  yoiirmind.  He 
would  never  think  of  looking  here  and  if  he  tried,  the 
police  would  stop  him.  You're  here  till  after  the 
campaign." 

"We  shall  see,"  replied  the  head  of  the  Women's 
Branch  of  the  Revolutionist  party,  as  Morton  bowed 
to  the  nurse  and  the  latter  took  hold  of  Marta's  arm 
to  lead  her  away. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

ROGER  MORTON  STARTS  THE  SEARCH 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Roger  Morton  was 
roused  by  the  phone  on  the  table  beside  his  bed.  He 
groped  for  the  light  cord  and  pulled  on  the  light  and 
then  took  up  the  phone. 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Morton,"  said  the  club  floor-clerk, 
"but  the  party  insisted  on  talking  with  you.  Seemed 
surprised  to  learn  you  were  here.  Will  I  put  her  on?" 

"Certainly!"  replied  Roger,  sleepily. 

The  clerk  connected  the  party. 

"Is  this  you,  Mr.  Morton?"  asked  a  woman's  voice. 

"It  is,  madam." 

"This  is  the  matron  at  Miss  Falmouth's  apartments. 
Have  you  seen  Miss  Falmouth?" 

"Not  since  I  left  her  at  the  Parkway." 

"Have  you  been  injured?" 

"Injured?    No!    Why?" 

"A  man  came  to  our  apartment  about  half -past  one 
and  said  you  were  injured  and  had  sent  for  Miss  Fal 
mouth.  She  left  with  him." 

Roger's  brain  began  to  formulate  theories  with 
rapidity.  He  spoke  into  the  phone. 

"Don't  retire!  I  shall  be  there  in  a  half  hour  and 

244 


ROGER  MORTON  STARTS  THE  SEARCH          245 

see  you.  Don't  tell  anybody  else."  He  signalled 
the  switchboard  to  get  him  the  Wellman  Hotel  and 
in  ten  seconds  time  was  in  touch  with  McWilliams. 

"Hello !  McWilliams.  This  is  Roger  Morton.  Get 
down  to  the  Parkway  at  once.  Wait  for  me  in  the 
office  corridor."  He  hung  up  the  phone  and  dressed, 
after  telling  the  switchboard  to  get  a  car  from  the 
nearest  service  station. 

He  was  at  the  Parkway  a  few  minutes  ahead  of 
McWilliams  and  consumed  the  time  and  half  a  pack 
age  of  cigarettes  while  waiting.  McWilliams  entered 
in  his  characteristic  rush. 

"What's  up,  Mr.  Morton?"  he  asked. 

"Don't  know  yet.     Wait  a  second !" 

Roger  crossed  to  the  night  clerk  and  spoke  to  him. 
The  other  nodded. 

He  returned  to  McWilliams. 

"I  told  him  where  we  were  going  and  why.  Now 
we'll  go  up." 

A  sleepy  bell-boy  opened  the  elevator  door,  after 
getting  the  signal,  and  Roger  and  McWilliams  were 
carried  to  the  floor  on  which  were  Marta's  apart 
ments. 

"Haven't  said  what's  trouble,"  suggested  Mc 
Williams,  as  he  tried  to  keep  pace  with  the  energetic 
National  Chairman  going  down  the  corridor. 

"Miss  Falmouth  has  been  abducted,"  said  Roger. 

McWilliams  didn't  answer.  He  couldn't  think  of 
anything  to  say.  Roger  rang  the  bell  of  the  apart- 


246  REWLT 

ments  and  the  matron  opened  the  door  slightly  and 
peeked  out.  Seeing  who  her  visitors  were  she  flung 
open  the  door  and  the  two  men  entered.  It  was 
apparent  to  Roger  that  the  matron  was  hysterical. 
He  grasped  her  firmly  by  the  arm  and  said: 

"Now  be  very  calm  and  answer  my  questions, 
carefully.  Don't  get  excited.  We  mustn't  make 
any  mistakes." 

"Yes,  sir !"  said  the  matron,  stifling  a  sob. 

"How  long  after  Miss  Falmouth  came  in,  this  morn 
ing,  before  the  man  came  after  her?" 

"About  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,"  answered  the  ma 
tron. 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"He  said  Mr.  Morton  has  been  badly  hurt  and  was 
at  the  Washington  Hospital  and  wanted  to  see  Miss 
Falmouth." 

"What  else?" 

"Oh!  he  said  you  told  him  to  tell  Miss  Falmouth 
not  to  speak  to  anybody  and  to  go  at  once.  He  said 
you  didn't  want  anything  in  the  papers  about  it." 

"Clever  idea  to  keep  her  from  attracting  attention," 
said  Roger,  turning  to  McWilliams. 

"Anything  else?"  he  asked. 

"Oh !  Yes !  he  said  he  was  from  the  hospital  and 
showed  a  white  coat  under  his  other  coat.  He  said 
he  had  the  superintendent's  car  with  him.  When 
Miss^Falmouth  started  he  made  her  put  on  a  heavy 
veil  and  a  heavy  cape." 


ROGER  MORTON  STARTS  THE  SEARCH         247 

"They  planned  it  well.  They  knew  she  would  go, 
at  once,  if  I  sent  for  her.  They  played  on  her  sym 
pathy.  They  are  clever  people  and  nervy  people." 
He  turned  to  McWilliams. 

"Well,  Mac,"  he  said,  "I  guessit'supto  you.  There 
are  a  million  places  where  a  woman  can  be  hidden  in 
New  York.  The  police  would  be  helpless.  They 
might  even  stand  in  with  the  abductors.  I'm  licked." 

He  put  his  hand  to  his  head  as  though  it  ached. 
Thanking  the  matron,  he  turned  to  the  door.  Mc 
Williams  followed  him  out  and  down  the  corridor 
to  the  elevator.  As  they  alighted  at  the  office  floor 
he  said  to  McWilliams: 

"Mac,  I  don't  know  when  I've  felt  just  like  this 
before.  I'm  all  in.  Only  this  morning  I  told  Marta 
that  I  was  afraid  of  something.  She  laughed  at  it. 
While  they  were  planning  I  was  getting  the  mental 
disturbance  and  I  should  have  had  sense  enough  to 
protect  her." 

"Couldn't  have  done  it,"  assured  McWilliams. 
"They  planned  it  too  carefully.  You've  given  me  a 
clue,  though." 

"Well?" 

"If  you  were  disturbed  mentally  and  Miss  Falmouth 
was  not,  then  the  stronger  impulse  must  have  come 
from  someone  who  is  in  your  sphere  of  operations  — 
I  mean  in  the  same  mental  stratum." 

"What  is  the  deduction?" 

"Simply  this,"  said  the  publicity  man.    "The  plot 


248  REVOLT 

was  put  into  operation  by  your  father  and  by  some 
body  who  was  giving  more  attention  to  you  than  he 
was  to  Miss  Falmouth.  What  I  am  trying  to  say  is 
that  while  they  were  plotting  to  abduct  Miss  Falmouth 
they  were  in  reality  planning  to  injure  you.  That 
is  why  you  were  mentally  disturbed." 

"If  they  wanted  to  injure  me  why  didn't  they  take 
me  direct?"  asked  Roger. 

"They  are  clever  people,"  replied  McWilliams, 
"more  clever  than  you  think.  They  have  figured 
it  out  that  you  will  be  more  cut  up  by  this  than  if 
they  kidnapped  you." 

"If  that's  the  way  they  figure,  by  God,  they're 
right,"  said  the  young  millionaire.  "But  that  doesn't 
help  the  situation.  Have  you  got  a  plan,  one  that 
will  bring  her  back,  safe?  That's  the  only  thing  to 
think  of." 

"I  have  a  plan,"  said  McWilliams,  quietly.  "I 
shall  start  work  in  the  morning  editions.  I  can't 
start  today.  If  I  tell  you  that  I  will  bring  Miss 
Falmouth  home  safe  will  you  go  back  to  bed?" 

"Sunday,    isn't    it?"    asked    Roger,    abstractedly. 

McWilliams  nodded. 

"I'll  try  to  sleep,  Mac,  but  I  never  was  so  bowled 
over  in  my  life.  I'm  depending  entirely  on  you. 
Don't  forget  that." 

He  entered  a  waiting  car  as  though  he  were  dazed. 
McWilliams  took  a  long  intake  of  early  morning  air 


ROGER  MORTON  STARTS  TEE  SEARCH          249 

and  started  to  walk  back  to  his  hotel.  He  wanted  to 
think. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  the  details  of  Mc- 
Williams'  plans.  Working  at  top  speed  and  with  the 
assistance  of  the  entire  staff  of  one  of  the  country's 
biggest  advertising  agencies  he  had  turned  loose  the 
great  engine  of  publicity.  Ignoring  costs  entirely  and 
using  the  telegraph  and  telephone  wires  to  the  limit, 
he  spread  the  story  of  Marta  Falmouth's  disappear 
ance  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other. 

Using  all  the  available  space  up  to  a  full  page  in 
every  daily  paper  in  America  he  issued  a  clarion  call 
that  woke  up  the  country  as  no  other  advertisement 
had  ever  woke  it  up.  Across  the  top  of  a  page  in 
every  daily  paper  printed  in  the  United  States  on 
Monday,  Oct.  26th,  appeared  the  glaring  headline 
in  letters  three  inches  deep—  "ONE  MILLION  DOL 
LARS  REWARD"  and  underneath  in  the  boldest  of 
type  "For  information  leading  to  the  arrest  of  the 
abductors  of  Marta  Falmouth." 

Then  followed  the  story  —  crisply  told  —  and 
illustrating  the  page  was  a  four-column  cut  of  Marta. 

On  Monday  morning  McWilliams  met  Roger  Mor 
ton  as  the  latter  came  into  the  offices  of  the  Revolution 
ist  National  Headquarters.  Roger  was  looking  a 
little  worn,  but  he  smiled  as  he  shook  McWilliams 
by  the  hand. 

"Good  old  Mac!"  he  said.    "I  knew  you  would 


250  REVOLT 

start  something,  but  for  every  million  we've  got  they 
can  put  up  a  hundred  million." 

"That  isn't  the  point,"  said  McWilliams.  "The 
million  dollars  reward  was  introduced  to  attract 
attention,  and  to  eliminate  as  many  hiding  places  as 
possible.  Wherever  she  is  there  she  must  stay. 
They  won't  dare  to  move  her." 

"You  have  another  idea  for  tomorrow,  then?" 
asked  Roger. 

"Most  assuredly,"  said  McWilliams.  "In  the 
advertisement  you  will  see  that  I  called  attention 
to  automobiles  bearing  New  York  numbers.  Every 
car  with  a  New  York  number,  outside  of  New  York, 
will  be  stopped  fifty  times  a  day  by  police  and  amateur 
detectives.  Tomorrow  I  carry  out  my  elimination 
process  still  further." 

The  advertisements  on  Tuesday  were  confined  to 
New  York  City.  They  carried  the  "$1,000,000 
REWARD"  heading,  but  followed  it  with  the  in 
formation  that  "Marta  Falmouth  is  a  prisoner  in 
New  York  City."  This  information  was  given  out 
for  the  purpose  of  having  everybody  in  New  York 
join  in  the  search.  It  commanded  everybody  to  go 
carefully  through  every  room  in  their  home,  for  ice 
men,  telephone  repairers,  tradesmen  of  all  kinds, 
hospital  employees,  taxi-drivers,  servants  in  apart 
ments,  everybody  in  the  city,  to  make  sure  of  their 
own  immediate  environment  and  to  report  anything 
that  seemed  suspicious. 


ROGER  MORTON  STARTS  THE  SEARCH    251 

Thousands  of  false  leads  were  telephoned  into  the 
office.  Hundreds  of  volunteer  detectives  came  to 
offer  their  services.  But  the  talk  of  the  city  —  from 
one  end  to  the  other  —  was  of  Marta  Falmouth. 

The  abduction  began  to  have  a  distinct  bearing 
on  the  campaign,  itself.  Prominent  men  and  women 
hitherto  noncommittal,  began  giving  statements  to 
the  press  hi  all  parts  of  the  country  decrying  such 
un-American,  such  inhuman  methods. 

A  woman  speaker  filled  out  Marta's  schedule  and 
devoted  half  her  speech  to  the  abduction.  Holman's 
speeches  took  on  an  oratorical  flavor  that  electrified 
the  nation.  He  wired  Headquarters,  demanding  a 
bigger  schedule  and  was  promptly  accommodated. 
The  campaign  took  on  an  intensity  and  a  vehemence 
such  as  no  campaign  ever  has  assumed  before  or  since 
in  our  entire  political  history. 

On  Wednesday  morning  came  McWilliams'  master 
stroke.  He  determined  to  win  or  lose  on  the  effort. 
Leaving  off  the  "$1,000,000  Reward"  heading,  be 
cause  it  had  served  its  usefulness  in  attracting  atten 
tion,  he  spread  the  heading,  "Marta  Falmouth  will 
be  free  tomorrow,"  in  two  deep  lines  across  the 
pages  of  the  Metropolitan  press.  The  story  stated 
positively  that  Marta's  hiding  place  was  known  and 
that  she  would  positively  be  released  the  following 
day. 

Roger  Morton  had  been  behaving  as  well  as  could 
be  expected.  Cautioned  by  McWilliams  against 


252  REVOLT 

doing  anything  rash  he  had  finally  settled  down  to 
the  routine  of  the  Headquarters. 

"You  owe  it  to  Miss  Falmouth  not  to  let  this  thing 
destroy  the  campaign.  Right  now  she  is  praying  for 
you  to  go  through  to  the  finish.  The  finest  thing 
you  can  do  in  her  eyes  is  to  keep  the  Revolutionist 
campaign  going  as  well  as  possible." 

"I  think  you're  right,  Mac,"  said  the  chairman. 
"But  I  never  seemed  to  be  so  utterly  helpless  in  all 
my  life." 

"They  were  planning  on  your  complete  collapse," 
said  McWilliams. 

"Well!"  said  Roger,  pulling  himself  together,  "we 
can  defeat  that  proposition,  even  if  we  can't  locate 
Marta."  Thus  he  returned  to  the  great  machine 
he  had  built  up. 

On  Wednesday  afternoon,  McWilliams  sat  in  his 
office  reading  the  proof  sheets  of  a  page  advertisement. 
He  was  smiling  to  himself.  He  had  sent  for  Roger. 
The  latter  now  entered. 

"Pardon  me  for  having  you  come  in  here,  Mr. 
Morton,"  said  McWilliams,  but  it  was  very  important. 
I've  found  Marta  Falmouth." 

Roger  threw  himself  upon  the  table. 

"Where  is  she?"  he  shouted. 

"Take  it  easy!"  said  McWilliams.  "I've  had  my 
suspicions  from  the  very  start.  An  hour  ago  I  con 
firmed  them.  She's  at  your  father's  house  on  the 
Avenue." 


ROGER  MORTON  STARTS  THE  SEARCH         253 

"Seems  ridiculous  to  think  the  Governor  would  do 
such  a  cruel  thing,"  said  Roger. 

"Nothing  ridiculous  about  it,"  said  McWilliams, 
"and  nothing  cruel.  Your  father  thinks  that  the 
Revolutionist  party  is  a  menace  to  the  nation,  really 
and  truly  thinks  so.  He  couldn't  think  of  any  other 
way  of  breaking  up  the  campaign,  so  he  abducted 
Miss  Falmouth.  She's  perfectly  safe,  I'm  sure  of  that." 

"Are  you  sure  she  is  there?" 

"Positively !"  replied  McWilliams. 

"Who  gave  you  the  information?" 

"Old  man  deduction  clinched  it  an  hour  ago,"  said 
McWilliams. 

"How  so?" 

"This  advertisement  was  refused  by  every  paper 
in  New  York  except  the  Independent  and  your  father 
called  up  the  Independent  and  told  them  if  they 
printed  it  he  would  sue  them  for  libel." 

"What  did  they  tell  him?" 

"They  politely  told  him  to  go  straight  to  .  .  ." 

"And  then  what  did  the  Governor  do?" 

"He  works  fast,"  said  McWilliams.  "He  has 
gotten  out  an  injunction  restraining  the  Independent 
from  printing  it  on  the  ground  that  it  will  do  him 
irreparable  damage.  He  controls  the  Judge  that  did 
the  job." 

"What  are  we  going  to  do,  then,  if  we  are  tied  up 
like  that?"  asked  Roger. 

"That's  what  I  wanted  to  see  you  about,"  said 


254  REVOLT 

McWilliams.  "We  need  Gilmore's  help.  He's  got 
to  print  this  advertisement  in  spite  of  the  injunction." 

"Contempt  of  Court?"  suggested  Roger. 

"Well !  it  won't  be  the  first  time  that  Charley  has 
shown  his  contempt  for  the  Court  when  he  felt  he  was 
doing  the  people  a  public  service.  Let's  get  down  to 
his  office." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

MARTA  IS  DELIVERED  BACK  TO  HER  PEOPLE 

Although  every  newspaper  in  New  York  City  ex 
cept  the  morning  edition  of  the  Independent  refused 
to  run  an  advertisement  that  McWilliams  had  pre 
pared  for  Thursday,  the  enormous  circulation  of  the 
Independent  enabled  him  to  put  his  story  across. 

Ignoring  precedent  and  with  a  sarcastic  reference 
to  a  "fake  injunction,"  Gilmore  had  turned  over  his 
entire  front  page  to  McWilliams.  Rather  than  hurt 
ing  the  story,  the  silence  of  the  other  newspapers 
merely  intensified  it.  An  exclusive  story  in  the  hands 
of  a  million  people  who  are  aware  that  every  pressure 
has  been  made  to  suppress  it  is  infinitely  more  im 
pressive  than  the  same  story  given  to  the  public  in 
the  general  routine. 

So  it  happened  that  one  million  excited  readers  of 
the  Independent  were  telling  the  rest  of  New  York's 
population  that  Marta  Falmouth  was  to  be  freed  at 
three  o'clock  that  afternoon  from  the  home  of  John 
Paine  Morton  on  Fifth  Avenue.  The  public  was  in 
vited  to  be  present.  It  was  a  daring  stroke.  With  only 
circumstantial  evidence  and  the  elimination  of  every 
other  possible  hiding  place  through  his  publicity  to 

255 


256  REVOLT 

convince  him,  McWilliams  has  taken  this  one  des 
perate  chance  to  free  Marta. 

Over  and  over  the  situation  he  had  gone,  with  Roger. 
It  was  too  big  a  matter  to  discuss  with  anybody  else. 
Even  after  he  had  gone  into  every  detail  he  had  failed 
to  convince  the  latter. 

It  was  Gilmore  who  had  clinched  matters.  After 
listening  to  all  the  evidence,  the  big  publisher  quietly 
held  up  his  hand  and  said : 

"McWilliams,  I'm  convinced  that  Miss  Falmouth 
is  at  the  Morton  home.  Your  reports  of  the  unusual 
activity  there,  the  failure  of  all  the  servants  to  be 
allowed  out  of  the  house,  the  effort  of  Morton,  Senior, 
to  suppress  this  story,  and  the  fact  that  a  million 
dollar  reward  would  have  uncovered  her  hiding  place 
almost  anywhere  in  New  York,  coupled  with  the  one 
important  fact  that  John  Paine  Morton  would  be 
more  interested  in  her  abduction  than  anybody  else, 
all  point  the  way  you  suggest. 

"He  would  rely  upon  the  court  to  protect  him  and 
on  the  police.  By  every  process  of  reasoning  she 
should  be  somewhere  else  and  he  has  also  been  relying 
on  that.  Up  to  the  time  this  advertisement  was  of 
fered  to  the  press  he  felt  secure.  He  now  knows 
you're  suspicious. 

"Well!  the  Independent  will  put  New  York  City 
on  the  job  tomorrow  as  it  has  never  been  on  the  job 
before.  Leave  the  matter  with  me." 

"But,"  persisted  Roger,  "suppose  my  father  has 


MARTA  IS  DELIVERED  BACK  TO  HER  PEOPLE   257 

secreted  Miss  Falmouth  in  some  other  place.  What 
then?" 

Gilmore  looked  at  McWilliams  and  grinned. 

"It  isn't  everybody  who  understands  the  psychology 
of  advertising.  Even  National  Chairmen  have  things 
to  learn.  This  is  what  will  happen,  my  dear  Roger, 
tomorrow  at  three  o'clock.  If  your  father  and  his 
gang  of  abductors  do  not  produce  Marta  Falmouth, 
safe  and  unharmed,  your  father's  life  will  not  be  a 
good  insurance  risk  and  if  he  knows  anything  he 
knows  that." 

McWilliams  smiled. 

"So  you  see,"  continued  Gilmore,  "that  if  Miss 
Falmouth  is  anywhere  within  striking  distance  of  New 
York  she  will  be  on  hand  at  three  o'clock  at  the  Morton 
home." 

Roger  Morton's  jaws  tightened  until  one  could  al 
most  hear  his  teeth  grinding. 

"I  leave  it  to  you,"  he  said,  with  determination. 
"Go  the  limit." 

At  ten  o'clock  a  fair  sized  crowd  had  gathered  in 
front  of  the  Morton  home  on  Fifth  Avenue.  Several 
mounted  police  tried  to  keep  them  moving.  By  noon 
the  crowd  had  become  absolutely  unmanageable. 
Busses  had  stopped  running  and  all  traffic  had  closed. 

At  one  o'clock  the  mass  of  people  surged  up  the 
Avenue  well  beyond  the  Museum  and  as  far  South 
as  the  Plaza.  Central  Park  was  jammed  the  entire 
side  of  the  Avenue.  Impromptu  speakers  were  tell- 


258  REVOLT 

ing  those  in  their  immediate  vicinity  what  they  thought 
about  it. 

Inside  the  Morton  home  a  most  unusual  scene  was 
taking  place.  Notified  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
announcement  in  the  Independent,  John  Paine  Morton 
had  decided  to  stay  in  the  house.  Lannigan  had 
advised  this  over  the  phone. 

"The  police  will  protect  you,"  he  assured  the  bil 
lionaire. 

"Too  bad  we  demobilized  the  National  Guard," 
said  Morton,  angrily.  "I  told  them  that  it  was  fool 
ish,  that  this  peace  talk  was  all  bosh  and  that  we 
would  need  an  armed  force,  some  day,  to  preserve 
order." 

"Forget  that,  chief!"  replied  Lannigan.  "The 
police  will  take  care  of  it.  I'll  have  the  Commissioner 
call  out  the  entire  reserve  forces  from  Harlem  and 
Brooklyn." 

"Can't  you  get  up  here?"  asked  the  billionaire, 
plaintively. 

"I'll  try  to  get  there  by  noon,"  said  Lannigan,  in  a 
brave  tone,  but  he  knew  he  was  lying,  when  he  said 
it.  The  Chief  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company's 
secret  service  bureau  was  already  preparing  an  alibi 
to  square  himself  for  his  failure  to  be  near  the  Morton 
home  when  the  storm  broke. 

At  one  o'clock,  without  the  assuring  presence  of 
Lannigan  and  with  nothing  but  a  thin  cordon  of 
mounted  police  about  his  home  and  with  a  surging 


MARTA  IS  DELIVERED  BACK  TO  HER  PEOPLE     259 

mass  of  humanity  stretching  off  into  the  distance  in 
every  direction  as  far  as  his  gaze  could  reach,  the 
world's  greatest  money  power  decided  to  act  on  his 
own  ideas.  He  had  the  butler,  who  was  shivering 
with  fear,  escort  Marta  into  the  library.  It  was  at 
least  the  tenth  time  that  he  had  sent  for  her  on  some 
pretext  or  other.  Always  she  had  appeared  calm  and 
confident.  This  time  she  was  smiling. 

"Miss  Falmouth,"  said  the  billionaire,  "you  hear 
that  crowd  outside?" 

"Very  plainly!"  replied  Marta. 

"You  know  what  it  means?"  asked  Morton. 

"Yes!  It  means  that  my  hiding  place  has  been 
discovered." 

"Correct.  Somebody  has  betrayed  me  and  dis 
closed  your  presence  in  my  home.  I  desire  to  have 
you  leave,  always  keeping  in  mind  that  you  were 
treated  with  the  utmost  respect  while  here." 

"I  shall  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  you  never  in 
tended  any  bodily  harm  to  come  to  me,  Mr.  Morton, 
but  as  for  leaving  here,  I  certainly  shall  not  until  I 
have  heard  from  Roger." 

"What  has  he  got  to  do  with  your  leaving?"  asked 
Morton,  in  surprise. 

"I  don't  know  yet,  but  surely  if  half  the  population 
of  New  York  know  I  am  here,  then  Roger  Morton 
knows  it  and  has  some  plan  in  mind  for  getting  me 
away.  I  shall  go  only  when  I  hear  from  him." 


260  REVOLT 

"Suppose  I  insist  that  you  go  now?"  said  Morton, 
impatiently. 

"Mr.  Morton,"  said  Marta,  haughtily,  "I  have  been 
a  prisoner  here  for  five  days.  I  have  made  no  threats. 
I  knew  that  what  inconvenience  I  might  suffer  was 
nothing  to  the  mental  trouble  of  those  on  the  outside. 
I  have  no  means  to  fight  you.  But  I  assure  you  of 
this,  that  if  you  attempt  to  interfere  in  the  slightest 
with  the  plans  of  Roger  Morton  I  will  tell  the 
truth  to  the  crowd  on  the  outside  and  not  hold  my 
self  responsible  for  their  actions." 

The  world's  leading  money-king  huddled  over  in 
his  chair.  His  face  was  ashen.  Every  few  minutes 
could  be  heard  the  wild  shouts  of  the  crowd  on  the 
outside  —  the  voices  penetrating  through  the  thick 
granite  walls  of  the  great  mansion  that  Morton  called 
his  home.  Fear  was  in  his  heart. 

"Please  sit  down  and  talk  to  me,  Miss  Falmouth," 
he  said,  finally. 

"Roger  will  be  here  at  three  o'clock,  if  he  can  get 
through  the  crowds." 

"He  will  get  through,"  said  Marta,  quietly.  "The 
people  love  him.  How  did  you  know  he  would  be 
here  at  three?" 

"The  newspapers  are  full  of  it,"  replied  Morton. 
"Tell  me  more  about  this  movement.  All  I  know 
is  what  I  read  in  the  papers." 

So  for  over  an  hour  the  head  of  the  Women's  Branch 
of  the  Revolutionist  Party  talked  to  the  billionaire, 


MARTA  IS  DELIVERED  BACK  TO  HER  PEOPLE    261 

telling  him  what  was  in  her  heart,  telling  him  her 
hopes,  her  expectations,  telling  him  things  that  no 
audience  could  ever  know,  telling  him,  in  plain  and 
simple  language,  of  the  fundamentals  of  governments, 
of  the  needs  for  great  changes,  of  the  rights  of  the 
people  and  of  the  utter  uselessness  of  great  wealth 
unless  properly  applied.  John  Paine  Morton  listened, 
fascinated. 

At  ten  minutes  to  three,  there  seemed  to  be  an  un 
usual  noise  on  the  outside.  The  shouting  seemed 
more  sustained  and  increasing  in  volume. 

"That  must  be  Roger  coming  for  me,"  said  Marta, 
with  tears  in  her  eyes.  "I  knew  he  would  come." 

"You  love  my  son?"  asked  Morton,  Senior,  brokenly. 

"He  is  the  most  wonderful  man  in  the  world!" 
declared  Marta. 

"Maybe  we  can  see  him  from  the  front  of  the  house," 
suggested  the  billionaire.  So  these  two  went  to  the 
Avenue  side  of  the  Morton  home  and  the  owner  po 
litely  drew  the  curtains  aside  so  that  Marta  saw  the 
crowd  for  the  first  time. 

"Roger  is  coming  through  the  crowd.  They  are 
carrying  him  on  their  shoulders,"  said  Marta,  ex 
citedly.  She  made  a  place  for  Morton  to  see. 

The  head  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company  looked 
out  at  the  throng.  He  saw  his  son  being  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  two  strong  men  who  were  fighting  their 
way  through  the  crowd.  All  along  there  was  an 
earnest  attempt  to  make  his  path  easy.  The  shout- 


262  REVOLT 

ing  and  cheering  had  become  wild  din.  Even  the 
police  had  joined  in  the  reception. 

"I  have  never  seen  the  people  in  action  before," 
said  Morton  to  Marta. 

"Isn't  it  wonderful?"  replied  Marta.  "Just  be 
cause  they  have  found  a  leader,  they  show  themselves 
in  this  manner.  I  think  I  had  better  go,  now,  Mr. 
Morton.  Evidently  Roger  expects  me!  I  shall  go 
just  as  I  am.  The  cape  would  be  cumbersome.'' 

Without  saying  a  word,  the  head  of  the  Universal 
Trust  Company  lead  his  involuntary  guest  to  the 
front  entrance.  The  steps  had  been  cleared  for  Roger, 
who  was  now  within  a  few  feet  of  them.  The  door 
opened  and  Marta  Falmouth  stood  forth.  The  door 
clicked  behind  her.  Roger  made  a  flying  jump  to  the 
top  steps  and  grasped  her  in  his  arms.  A  nearby 
clock  chimed  three  strokes,  but  nobody  heard  it  above 
the  shouting  and  cheering. 

Thus  Marta  Falmouth  returned  to  her  people  and 
as  she  willingly  gave  herself  into  the  embrace  of  Roger 
Morton,  thus  she  told  the  people  for  the  first  time 
that  she  was  soon  to  be  married  to  the  Chairman  of  the 
Revolutionist  National  Committee. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE  CLARION  CALL  TO  THE  COLORS 

With  Marta  back  in  her  office  at  the  Women's 
Branch  the  Campaign  took  on  an  impetus  that  swept 
everything  before  it.  The  Democratic  campaign  had 
become  a  joke.  Millions  of  sincere  democrats,  who 
felt  the  slight  that  had  been  apparently  cast  upon 
their  party,  joined  the  Revolutionists  and  swelled  the 
attendance  at  rallies  and  all  other  activities  in  which 
numbers  could  manifest  themselves. 

Marta  decided  not  to  try  to  fill  the  Friday  date  on 
her  schedule,  but  conserved  her  entire  energy  for  the 
Saturday  demonstration  at  Madison  Square  Garden. 
This  was  to  be  the  greatest  effort  of  the  campaign. 

McWilliams  worked  like  a  dozen  men  and  showed 
a  grasp  of  the  political  situation  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other  that  astonished  even  those  who 
had  begun  to  regard  him  as  a  wizard. 

On  Saturday  morning  a  flood  of  money  was  thrown 
into  the  New  York  stock  exchange  to  bet  at  odds  on 
Halliday.  It  was  the  distress  signal  of  the  Republicans 
trying  to  keep  their  campaign  from  disintegrating 
entirely.  No  bets  at  all  were  offered  on  the  Demo- 

263 


264  REVOLT 

cratic  candidate  at  any  figure.  The  only  candidates 
recognized  were  Holman  and  Halliday. 

By  arrangements  made  with  the  telephone  system 
all  over  the  United  States  at  an  expense  running  into 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  McWilliams  had 
put  over  the  greatest  publicity  stunt  of  all  times. 
He  had  arranged  for  Holman's  speech  at  the  Garden 
on  Saturday  night  to  be  heard  in  the  largest  halls  of 
the  country.  Nearly  every  city  and  town  in  American 
was  on  the  list.  By  talking  into  a  big  receiver  and 
having  a  large  accelerator  at  the  other  end,  Holman 
was  scheduled  to  speak  to  over  thirty  millions  of 
people  at  one  time. 

Early  in  the  day  McWilliams  had  telegraphed  ad 
vertising  all  over  the  West  calling  for  the  people  to 
be  in  their  seats,  early,  so  that  Marta  Falmouth's 
speech,  as  well  as  that  of  Holman  might  be  heard. 

The  telephone  system  officials  promised  to  have 
connections  all  made  as  early  as  five-thirty  on  the 
West  Coast. 

Announcers  at  every  hall  cautioned  the  audiences 
against  too  lengthy  applause,  but  the  cautions  were 
needless.  From  the  time  that  Marta  took  the  plat 
form  at  eight-thirty  and  until  Holman  had  finished 
his  speech  at  eleven  o'clock,  the  New  York  audience  so 
dominated  the  situation  that  the  other  audiences  were 
nearly  always  waiting  when  the  speakers  were  able 
to  resume. 

Marta  put  the  women  of  America  on  the  line  for 


TEE  CLARION  CALL  TO  THE  COLORS  265 

the  Revolutionists.  Speaking  in  a  calm  voice  that 
sang  its  way  over  the  copper  wires  of  the  telephone 
company  into  30,000  halls,  from  Eastport  to  San  Diego 
and  from  Key  West  to  Seattle,  she  roused  her  hearers 
as  they  had  never  been  roused  before. 

Holman's  address,  on  this  occasion,  has  been  called 
the  high  water  mark  of  American  political  oratory. 
He  spoke  as  if  inspired.  Telling  his  hearers  that  over 
thirty  millions  of  Revolutionists  were  gathered  to 
gether  to  hear  the  living  truth,  he  reviewed  the  cam 
paign  to  date  and  then  gave  his  audience  their  final 
instructions  for  the  coming  Tuesday. 

"We  must  either  become  a  free  people  or  forever 
become  the  slaves  of  the  money-power.  The  trail 
has  been  blazed.  The  way  lies  clear  before  us. 
There  must  be  no  let-up  until  the  fight  is  won.  We 
have  done  our  work.  The  rest  is  up  to  the  voters. 

"I  am  sounding  the  bugle  call  to  the  colors  of  the 
Revolutionists.  It  is  the  first  bloodless  revolution 
ever  attempted  in  all  human  history,"  he  shouted. 

"Let  every  sovereign  citizen  in  America,  who  be 
lieves  in  Government  of  the  people,  go  to  the  polls 
on  Tuesday  next,  with  head  erect,  confidence  in  the 
right  and  mark  his  ballot  for  the  candidates  of  the 
Revolutionist  party.  He  has  no  other  choice. 

"I  leave  tonight  for  my  home  in  Kansas.  I  shall 
vote  as  soon  as  the  polls  are  open.  I  shall  vote  the 
straight  Revolutionist  ticket,  because  in  so  voting  I 
feel  that  I  am  doing  my  duty  as  a  citizen  of  this  Re- 


266  REVOLT 

public  that  will  grow  great  if  unshackled  but  will 
become  a  monetary  autocracy  if  allowed  to  continue 
under  its  present  system  of  selecting  and  electing 
candidates. 

"I  pledge  myself,  if  chosen  to  be  your  President  on 
Tuesday  next,  so  to  comport  myself  in  the  affairs  of 
the  nation  as  to  merit  this  endorsement  from  my 
fellow  citizens,  'He  served  faithfully  the  people  who 
trusted  him.'  I  can  conceive  of  no  greater  honor. 

"Good  night!  God  be  with  you!  On  to  victory 
under  the  banner  of  the  people,  for  the  voice  of  the 
people  is  the  voice  of  God." 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

VICTORY  IN  THE  NAME  OF   THE  PEOPLE 

Election  day  came  in  clear.  Just  a  slight  touch 
of  chill  on  the  Eastern  coast  and  as  far  South  as 
Virginia.  All  over  the  West  and  through  the  South 
weather  bulletins  predicted  fair  weather,  an  ideal 
day  for  a  big  vote. 

Marta  Falmouth  voted  at  her  home  in  Cambridge 
at  eight  o'clock,  being  compelled  to  wait  nearly 
fifteen  minutes  for  the  line  to  melt  down.  The  wait 
ing  line  was  larger  when  she  called  for  her  ballot  than 
it  was  when  she  first  took  her  place. 

As  she  came  from  the  polling  booth,  a  photographer 
stepped  up  politely  and  asked  if  she  would  please 
pose,  which  she  did  in  her  unfailingly  gracious  manner. 

' ' Thank  you,  Miss  Falmouth , ' '  said  the  photographer . 
"I  hope  your  party  wins  today." 

"Do  you  think  we  can  carry  conservative  old 
Massachusetts?"  asked  McWilliams. 

"Conservative  old  Massachusetts  is  going  to  smash 
all  her  recent  traditions  and  go  back  to  the  days  of 
'76,  if  I'm  a  judge,"  answered  the  newspaper  man, 
folding  up  his  camera  and  starting  for  the  subway, 
leaving  the  head  of  the  Women's  Branch  holding  an 

267 


268  REVOLT 

impromptu  reception  with  some  old  neighbors.  She 
left  for  New  York  at  ten  o'clock. 

Holman  voted  at  his  home  precinct  in  Kansas  at 
the  opening  of  the  polls  and  then  issued  this  crisp 
statement  for  the  press.  It  was  flashed  all  over  the 
country,  catching  the  early  afternoon  editions: 

"I  have  done  my  duty  as  an  American  citizen." 
He  then  returned  to  his  home,  and  in  the  presence  of 
his  wife  and  two  children,  calmly  waited  for  the  re 
turns.  He  had  done  all  that  one  man  could  do. 
The  case  of  the  Revolutionists  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

Roger  Morton  voted  at  his  old  precinct,  just  around 
the  corner  from  the  Morton  home.  He  was  surprised 
to  see  quite  a  crowd  in  line  as  he  alighted  from  his 
machine  at  eight-thirty.  He  knew  many  of  the  men 
and  bowed  to  them.  He  also  bowed  to  many  of  the 
fashionably  dressed  women  in  the  line. 

He  thought  he  detected  a  slight  coldness  in 
their  "good  mornings,"  but  figured  that  it  was  due 
more  to  his  neglect  of  the  social  side  of  New  York 
for  the  past  six  months  rather  than  to  the  cause 
he  was  sponsoring.  The  man  next  in  line  to 
him  was  a  prominent  Bank  President,  closely  in  touch 
with  the  Universal  Trust  Company. 

"Morning,  Roger,"  he  said,  "I  see  that  you  are 
revolutioning  early." 

"Thank  you,  Chadwick.    I  didn't  know  you  were 


FICTORY  IN  THE  NAME  OF  THE  PEOPLE      269 

familiar  with  my  party.  What  do  you  think  of  our 
chances?"  he  asked. 

"They  come  and  go,"  said  Chadwick,  smiling, 
"but  the  old  Republican  party  goes  on  forever.  I 
hate  to  hand  you  this,  Roger,  but  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  Halliday  will  get  the  biggest  vote  any  candidate 
ever  received.  He  will  sweep  the  country." 

"Chadwick,"  said  Roger,  sarcastically,  "I  always 
cautioned  you  against  reading  the  Tribune.  It's 
beginning  to  tell  on  you,  awfully." 

At  the  Women's  Branch  and  at  the  National 
General  Headquarters,  a  checker  was  stationed  as 
each  employee  came  to  his  work. 

"Where  did  you  vote  and  what  were  the  conditions 
at  the  polls?  Were  the  Revolutionist  checkers  in 
evidence?"  These  questions  were  put  to  every  em 
ployee,  men  and  women,  and  the  replies  noted. 

Roger  arrived  at  General  Headquarters  at  9  o'clock 
and  took  charge.  Among  the  hundreds  of  telegrams 
from  all  over  the  country  were  two  that  had  been 
set  aside.  One  was  from  Marta  saying  she  was  on  the 
train  arriving  at  three  o'clock  and  the  other  was  from 
McWilliams  stating  that  Boston  was  polling  the  biggest 
vote  in  her  entire  history.  He  put  five  clerks  at 
work  sorting  telegrams  that  required  answers  and 
answering  emergency  phone  calls. 

At  noon  he  sent  for  the  National  Treasurer  for  a 
conference. 

"I  don't  know  how  close  you  can  be  to  the  bills  of 


270  REVOLT 

the  National  Headquarters,"  said  Roger,  "but  I  de 
sire  to  place  at  your  disposal  at  nine  in  the  morn 
ing  sufficient  funds  to  pay  every  legitimate  bill  we 
have  contracted.  Please  see  that  I  have  an  es 
timate." 

"The  best  that  I  can  do  will  be  at  least  a  million 
out  of  the  way,"  suggested  the  Treasurer. 

"That  will  be  near  enough,"  said  Roger.  "By 
the  way,  what  time  did  you  vote  this  morning?" 

"I  didn't  vote  yet,"  replied  the  other.  "I  thought 
there  might  be  something  important  requiring  my 
decision  at  Headquarters,  so  I  arrived  early." 

"The  only  important  thing  on  election  day  is  to 
vote.  You  can  use  my  car  to  get  to  your  precinct." 
It  was  the  first  time  during  the  entire  campaign  that 
Roger  Morton  had  spoken  sharply  to  any  of  his 
colleagues  at  General  Headquarters. 

The  first  town  in  America  to  give  out  its  vote  was  a 
little  town  down  in  Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts. 
The  entire  vote  of  the  town  had  been  cast  and  voted 
at  eleven  o'clock.  The  polls  were  closed.  The  As 
sociated  Press  flashed  the  story.  It  was  Gilmore 
at  the  Independent  office  who  called  Roger  and  gave 
him  the  news. 

"Hello  Roger.  Charlie  Gilmore  talking.  The 
town  of  Carver,  Massachusetts,  has  the  honor  to  re 
port  the  following  vote:  Holman  70,  Halliday  22, 
Bancroft  12." 

"What  does  that  mean?"  asked  Roger. 


VICTORY  IN  THE  NAME  OF  THE  PEOPLE      271 

"It  means  only  one  thing,  down  here,"  replied 
Gilmore,  laconically,  "that  we  will  let  every  man 
west  of  the  Mississippi  who  votes  between  now  and 
eight  o'clock  tonight  know  that  there  is  a  place  by 
the  name  of  Carver  and  that  her  citizens  know  how 
to  vote." 

Roger  hung  up  the  receiver  thinking  what  a  power 
ful  thing  the  modern  newspaper  is  in  influencing 
human  actions. 

All  the  early  reports  were  not  so  gratifying.  Some 
towns  in  the  South  seemed  to  indicate  by  their  votes 
that  Bancroft  had  made  a  record  as  President  that 
entitled  him  to  a  second  term  without  opposition. 
None  of  the  large  cities  had  begun  to  send  in  reports 
up  to  three  o'clock.  One  thing  only  was  clearly  estab 
lished  at  that  hour.  It  was  evident  that  the  most 
stupendous  outpouring  of  voters  ever  recorded  was 
taking  place  and  that  the  women's  vote  in  many 
places  was  larger  than  that  of  the  men. 

Marta  was  met  at  the  station  by  Roger  and  they 
rode  over  to  the  National  Headquarters. 

"What  news?"  she  asked. 

"All  seems  well,"  he  replied. 

"Will  we  win?" 

"I  shall  win,  even  though  Holman  doesn't/'  said 
Roger,  significantly. 

Bulletins  were  coming  in  faster  when  Roger  and 
Marta  reached  Headquarters,  mostly  from  smaller 
towns,  although  some  wards  hi  cities  where  the  elec- 


272  REVOLT 

tion  boards  permitted  counting  in  blocks  were  in 
cluded  in  the  news. 

Bancroft  had  been  eliminated  by  the  New  York 
World  in  a  statement  issued  at  3.30  to  the  effect  that 
"all  indications  point  to  the  fact  that  the  contest  is 
entirely  between  Holman  and  Halliday." 

The  Buffalo  Enquirer  issued  this  bulletin  at  4.15: 
"Holman  appears  to  have  carried  Buffalo  by  22,000." 

It  was  the  only  bulletin  on  a  large  scale  that  had 
come  in.  Roger  looked  at  Marta  and  the  latter 
smiled  back  at  him.  There  was  nothing  to  say.  It 
seemed  too  good  to  be  true. 

Two  minutes  later,  the  Baltimore  Sun  was  quoted: 

"From  returns  all  over  the  state,  it  appears  that 
Holman  will  carry  Maryland  by  a  slight  margin. 
The  Electoral  vote  may  be  split." 

A  flood  of  small  bulletins  followed,  some  favorable, 
others  decidedly  the  other  way.  At  six  o'clock  two 
wards  in  the  residential  section  of  Boston  were  re 
ported.  Halliday  had  carried  the  two  wards  by  over 
2,500  votes. 

"I  know  those  two  wards,"  said  Marta,  quietly, 
speaking  for  the  first  time  in  over  an  hour.  "If  that's 
the  best  Halliday  can  do  in  those  two  wards  he  will 
lose  Boston  by  40,000." 

Then  came  the  deluge.  From  all  over  the  nation 
the  story  of  the  votes  began  to  come  in.  Little  out- 
of-the-way  places  had  their  few  seconds  of  attention, 
their  flash  of  glory,  and  were  lost  again.  Savannah, 


VICTORY  IN  THE  NAME  OF  THE  PEOPLE      273 

Georgia,  and  Detroit,  Michigan,  came  through  side 
by  side,  one  trying  to  keep  Bancroft  from  being 
ignored  and  the  other  giving  Dan  Holman  a  rousing 
majority. 

It  became  evident  as  the  vote  was  analyzed  by  the 
expert  accountants  who  were  working  like  beavers 
on  the  figures  that,  while  Holman  was  getting  enor 
mous  votes  in  the  East,  he  was  going  to  have  hard 
work  to  overcome  the  vote  of  Halliday.  Holman 
had  captured  practically  the  entire  strength  of  Ban 
croft  in  the  Republican  states,  but  in  the  strong 
Democratic  states  of  the  South,  this  condition,  of 
course,  did  not  prevail. 

At  eight  o'clock,  Massachusetts  was  in  doubt,  as 
also  were  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and 
Indiana.  Other  Eastern  states  were  apparently  safe 
for  Halliday  except  Maryland,  which  had  swung  to 
Holman  and  stayed  there. 

At  8.15  one  of  the  clerks  on  the  phone  smiled  and 
then  said,  "Wait  a  minute."  He  yelled  across  the 
room  at  Roger,  "Mr.  Holman  wants  to  speak  to  you !" 

Roger  leaped  to  the  phone. 

"Hello!  Dan,"  he  shouted.  "We've  been  waiting 
to  hear  from  you." 

"Well!  put  this  down  to  the  everlasting  glory  of 
my  native  state,"  came  back  the  Revolutionist  can 
didate  for  President.  "We  have  carried  Kansas  by 
100,000  on  the  face  of  the  returns." 

Roger  shouted  the  figures  to  the  crowd,  yelled  con- 


274  REVOLT 

gratulations  at  Holman  and  then  Marta  walked  over 
and  took  the  phone  from  him. 

"Good  evening,  Mr.  Holman,"  she  said.  "I'd  like 
to  speak  to  Mrs.  Holman,  if  I  may." 

A  second  later  she  said  so  that  all  the  group  could 
hear  her: 

"Good  evening,  Mrs.  Holman.  I  want  to  con 
gratulate  you.  The  women  of  the  United  States  are 
depending  on  you  ior  the  next  four  years  as  they  have 
never  depended  upon  one  woman  in  the  history  of 
our  country.  .  .  . 

"No!  there  isn't  any  doubt,  any  more,  over 
the  election.  The  West  has  settled  it.  Good 
night." 

"She  is  crying,"  said  Marta,  turning  to  those  who 
were  listening.  "Why  do  women  always  cry  after  the 
battle  has  been  won?" 

She  turned,  and  with  her  handkerchief  at  her  eyes, 
went  into  the  private  office  of  the  Chairman. 

It  was  there,  a  half  hour  later,  that  Roger  found  her, 
with  her  head  buried  in  her  arms  on  a  desk. 

"Come,  dear,"  he  said,  putting  his  hands  on  her 
shoulders,  "we  will  go  and  have  something  to  eat. 
It's  all  over.  The  Sun  has  just  given  Holman  Mas 
sachusetts,  New  York,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Ohio, 
Illinois,  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  every  state  west  of 
the  Mississippi." 

"I  really  don't  feel  like  eating,  Roger,"  said  the 
head  of  the  Women's  Branch. 


VICTORY  IN  THE  NAME  OF  THE  PEOPLE      275 

"Then  we  will  talk,"  suggested  the  National  Chair 
man. 

As  they  were  going  through  the  general  offices, 
McWilliams,  the  publicity  man,  stopped  them. 

"Sign  there!"  He  handed  them  two  typewritten 
statements. 

"What  for?"  asked  Roger,  smiling. 

"They're  statements  for  the  press,"  replied  Mc 
Williams.  "Since  we've  carried  the  country  I  have 
to  be  very  careful  about  what  goes  out.  These  are 
two  dandy  statements,  but  I'm  not  taking  chances." 

Closing  his  eyes,  Roger  asked,  "Where  do  I  sign?" 

Following  his  example,  Marta  said  the  same  thing. 

"No  wonder  we  won  this  fight,"  commented 
McWilliams,  "you  are  the  only  people  who  ever  ran 
a  campaign  who  were  not  afraid  to  trust  the  publicity 
man,  blindly." 

"The  ceremony  will  be  at  ten  o'clock  on  Thursday 
morning,  Mac,"  said  Roger,  irrelevantly.  "I  want 
you  and  Holman  to  be  there.  Nobody  else  is  to  be 
present,  except  the  clergyman." 

McWilliams  nodded  understandingly  and  went 
back  to  his  typewriter. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

SO   RUNS  THE  WORLD  AWAY 

Besides  the  officiating  clergyman  and  the  bride 
and  groom  the  only  people  at  the  marriage  ceremony 
making  Roger  Adams  Morton  and  Marta  Falmouth 
husband  and  wife,  were  President-elect  Dan  Holman 
and  McWilliams,  the  publicity  man  of  the  Revolution 
ist  party. 

As  the  four  came  from  the  Rectory  of  the  Church 
in  Fifty-eighth  Street,  after  the  ceremony,  they 
failed  to  pay  any  attention  to  a  car  waiting  up  the 
street,  but  entered  their  own  car,  which  headed  for 
the  Parkway  Hotel. 

"Awfully  glad  to  see  you,  Dan,"  said  the  groom. 
"How  you  feeling?" 

"Like  taking  a  long,  long  sleep  if  I  ever  get  a 
chance,"  replied  the  Nation's  new  chief-servant. 
I've  got  six  secretaries  answering  my  telegrams  and 
letters  of  congratulations." 

"One  thing  you  will  always  be  grateful  for,"  said 
Roger. 

"What's  that?"  requested  Dan. 

"That  we  didn't  make  a  single  deal  with  anybody 
except  the  people  as  a  whole.  There  isn't  a  job  or  an 

276 


SO  RUNS  THE  WORLD  AWAY  277 

official  act  tied  up.  You  are  the  freest  man  who 
ever  was  elected  to  public  office  in  America." 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  I  don't  owe  you 
something,  Roger?"  demanded  Holman. 

Young  Morton  looked  at  his  wife  and  smiled. 
Shaking  his  head  he  said,  "Nobody  in  the  world  owes 
me  anything,  Dan.  In  fact,  I  feel  indebted  to  every 
body." 

Marta  didn't  speak.  Her  face  was  almost  as  crim 
son  as  the  colors  of  the  University  in  whose  shadows 
she  had  grown  to  womanhood. 

The  party  alighted  at  the  Parkway  and  went  to 
Marta's  rooms  for  a  wedding  breakfast.  The  news 
had  gone  forth  and  the  rooms  were  lined  with  flowers. 
Respecting  the  evident  wishes  of  the  young  couple 
the  hotel  management  had  insisted  upon  no  newspaper 
interviews  or  parties  of  congratulation.  Everybody 
had  been  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  time  and  place  of 
the  ceremony.  Those  few  who  had  guessed  it  cor 
rectly  had  been  kept  from  breaking  in  on  the  wedding 
party. 


The  President  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company 
sat  in  the  library  at  his  home.  He  was  pale  and  ner 
vous.  He  tapped  the  table  with  a  heavy  ivory  paper 
knife.  The  phone  rang. 

"Hello !"  answered  Morton. 


278  REVOLT 

"Lannigan,  talking,"  came  over  the  phone.  "Mar 
ried  ten  minutes  ago.  They  are  at  Miss  Falmouth's 
rooms  in  the  Parkway,  eating  a  breakfast." 

"Who  in  the  party?"  asked  the  world's  money 
king. 

"Roger,  the  bride,  Holman  and  McWilliams,  the 
publicity  man." 

"Thanks!  that's  all  I  wanted  to  know."  The 
President  of  the  Universal  Trust  Company  hung  up 
the  receiver  and  hurriedly  left  the  room. 

Shortly  afterward  the  clerk  at  the  desk  of  the  Park 
way  Hotel  made  the  announcement  to  Roger  that 
John  Paine  Morton  would  like  to  see  him. 

"Send  him  up!"  said  the  younger  Morton,  turning 
to  his  guests,  with  a  troubled  look  on  his  face.  "My 
father  is  coming  up,"  he  offered  in  explanation. 

"Well !  I'm  going,"  said  McWilliams.  "I  will  draft 
the  bill  for  a  publicity  department  in  the  Cabinet 
at  once,  Mr.  Holman,  and  send  it  to  you." 

"You  are  to  have  the  position,  McWilliams," 
Holman  assured  him.  "I  believe  you  will  make  it 
the  biggest  place  in  the  Cabinet." 

"Good  chance.  We'll  see!"  McWilliams  shook 
hands  and  left. 

John  Paine  Morton  entered  the  room  and  looked 
across  at  his  son.    He  bowed  to  Holman  and  Marta. 
They  all  three  waited  for  him  to  speak. 
j^V'Roger,  I'm  proud  of  you.    Holman,  I  congratulate 
you.    Young  woman,  I  deem  it  an  honor  to  be  re- 


50  RUNS  THE  WORLD  AWAY  279 

lated  to  you.  I  thought  you  should  know  how  I  felt 
in  the  matter,  so  I  came  to  tell  you  in  person." 

Roger  crossed  the  room.  He  put  his  hands  on  his 
father's  shoulders  and  looked  him  full  in  the  eyes. 

"Governor,"  he  said,  his  voice  shaking,  "I  didn't 
think  anything  could  add  to  my  happiness,  but  you 
have  doubled  it  by  what  you  have  just  said." 

"You  are  the  cleanest,  hardest  and  the  squarest 
fighter  this  country  ever  produced,"  said  the  elder 
Morton,  heartily,  "and  I'm  glad  you  won." 

Holman  crossed  the  room  and  took  the  banker  by 
the  hand. 

"When  did  you  conclude  that  the  affairs  of  the 
country  could  be  entrusted  to  us  with  safety?"  asked 
the  President-elect. 

"It  began  growing  on  me  at  three  o'clock,  last 
Thursday,  and  on  Saturday  night  I  had  the  telephone 
company  give  me  a  private  wire  so  that  I  heard  your 
speech,"  said  the  banker. 

"I  believe  you  are  a  safer  man  than  Halliday.  I 
only  regret  that  I  can't  help  out  your  administration 
without  being  accused  of  self-interest.  I'd  like  to 
help."  His  voice  was  almost  pleading. 

"You'll  be  given  an  opportunity,"  said  Holman, 
curtly. 

"How?"  asked  Morton,  in  eagerness. 

"I  have  had  you  slated  for  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
since  yesterday,"  replied  Holman,  taking  a  sheet  of 
paper  from  his  pocket.  "Here  is  the  full  list." 


280  REVOLT 

In  amazement,  the  banker  looked  at  it. 

"Not  speaking  for  myself/'  he  said,  "I  should  say 
that  America  cannot  produce  a  brainier  Cabinet." 

"This  will  be  an  administration  of  brains.  Gov 
ernments  can't  be  run  without  them.  Democracies 
especially,  need  them,"  said  Holman.  "We  shall 
consider  it  settled  then." 

"You  really  believe  I  can  fill  the  position?"  asked 
Morton. 

"Absolutely  sure  of  it,"  said  Holman,  with  convic 
tion.  "That's  why  I  want  you  in  it.  Our  greatest 
mistakes  have  been  in  putting  little  men  into  big  jobs. 
They  always  rattle  around.  I'm  going  to  reverse 
the  process." 

"I  shall  be  in  Washington  on  the  day  of  your  in 
auguration,  ready  for  duty,  Mr.  President,"  said 
Morton,  heartily.  "Good  day!" 

He  stepped  to  the  door  and  turned  before  going  out. 
Nobody  noticed  him  at  all.  Roger  Adams  Morton 
was  looking  into  the  eyes  of  the  most  beautiful  woman 
in  the  world  and  Dan  Holman,  of  Kansas,  was  look 
ing  intently  at  a  steel  engraving  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
speaking.  The  title  of  the  picture  was  "Lincoln  at 
the  Field  of  Gettysburg."  The  lips  of  the  President 
elect  were  moving.  A  person  versed  in  lip-reading 
would  readily  interpret  what  he  was  saying  to  be 
"that  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and 
for  the  people  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth." 

Holman's  eyes  closed  as  if  he  were  at  prayer. 


SO  RUNS  THE  WORLD  AWAY  281 

The  world's  greatest  money-power  shut  the  door 
softly  as  be  went  out  into  the  turbulent  world  of 
affairs.  He  was  thinking.  "Maybe  the  people  can 
be  trusted,  after  all,"  he  mused.  "They  really  haven't 
been  ["given  many  opportunities,  recently,  and  the 
experiment  is  surely  worth  trying." 


END 


